Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore leaves club three weeks after play-off win

Moore, who guided the Owls to the Sky Bet Championship via the play-offs last month, departs Hillsborough after just over two years in the job.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore has left the club by mutual consent after leading them to promotion (Nick Potts/PA) (PA Wire)

Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore has left the club by mutual consent just three weeks after leading the Owls to promotion from League One.

Moore, 49, who guided the Owls to the Sky Bet Championship via the play-offs last month, departs Hillsborough after just over two years in the job. His backroom staff have also left, the club have announced.

Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri told the club’s official website: “Both parties believe that now is the right time we go our separate ways.

“The journey of Sheffield Wednesday with Darren has been in many ways unique and always as a team. In the football industry, journeys come to an end and now is that time, which we both agree.

“The mutual respect we have for each other is immense on a personal and professional basis and I offer my sincere thanks for the dedication and commitment Darren has given to our club. Darren will always be welcome at Hillsborough.”

The club said the search for a new manager to lead them in the second tier next season was under way.

Former West Brom and Doncaster boss Moore said: “I would like to take this time to acknowledge the chairman, Mr Chansiri, for giving me the opportunity to manage this great football club in Sheffield Wednesday, it’s been a journey in every sense.

“Both the chairman and myself have been determined to get this club back into the Championship.

“I’m delighted this has been achieved, and I hope the football club continues to develop and will soon fulfil the dream of mine, which was to take them back to the Premier League where they belong.”

Moore steered the Owls to a 1-0 win over Barnsley after extra time in the League One play-off final 21 days ago after they had overcome an unprecedented 4-0 first-leg deficit in their semi-final against Peterborough.

He said he wanted to thank all Wednesday fans “from the bottom of my heart” for their passion and support.

Moore added: “This was most apparent during the second leg of the play-offs at Hillsborough when so many people around the country thought it wasn’t possible, we rallied together to achieve the impossible.

“The scenes I witnessed from the technical area at Wembley, especially for the winning goal, will be images I will never forget.”

The Owls were in the Championship’s bottom three when Moore replaced the sacked Tony Pulis in March 2021 and were relegated at the end of that season.

They lost to Sunderland in the League One play-off semi-finals in 2022 and returned to the Championship via the play-offs last season having set a new club record of 23 league games unbeaten before defeat to Barnsley in March.