Donegal 'Owls' toast Sheffield Wednesday's dramatic promotion at Wembley

In her home in Convoy, Sinéad Breen has a football bought for £87 and considered priceless.

As an eight-year-old in the late 1980s, she began supporting Sheffield Wednesday. There were memorable years in the early 90s before the Owls dropped down the ladder.

Sinéad and her son Tiernan were at Wembley on Monday to see Wednesday win promotion back to the EFL Championship in the most dramatic fashion.

With only six seconds left in extra time and with penalties looming, Josh Windass's diving header gave Wednesday a memorable win over Barnsley.

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“It was unbelievable,” Sinéad beamed.

When her mother's aunt died in Rotherham some years ago, Sinéad accompanied her to the funeral. On the stay with her mother's cousin, Pauline, and her husband Pete, they were small talking when Sinéad mentioned her fondness of Sheffield Wednesday.

“There aren't many Owls in Ireland,” she ventured. Sinéad recalled a story of the 22 – as was the case in those times – top flight teams auctioning off a signed football.

Wednesday's went for the lowest amount - £87.

“Pete's jaw dropped when I knew this and he said 'wait a minute',” Sinéad says. “He left the room and came back with the ball!

“I still have it - it was signed by the last Owls team to play in the Premiership. He had no notion I'm an Owl and I had no notion that he was too.”

Wednesday won the League Cup – the Rumbelows Cup as it was called – in 1991 when John Sheridan scored in a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Wembley.

Wednesday were back at Wembley twice in 1993, losing both finals to Arsenal.

The same year, Sinéad made her way to Oriel Park as the Owls faced Dundalk in a pre-season friendly. The programme showed details of an Irish supporters club and the young Sinéad was told the meetings were only held in Dublin.

By the time she went to auctioneering college seven years later, the club had disbanded.

Her love of the Owls has endured. Monday was another of the good old days.

“When we won the Rumbelows when I was ten, I thought Sheffield Wednesday were the new Liverpool. There's long suffering and then there's us!”