Henrik Pedersen proud of Sheff Wed players and fans in late defeat at Leicester

Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen said he was “proud” of his side and their supporters after they suffered a late 2-1 defeat to Leicester amid the club’s off-field turmoil.

Wednesday players entered the field to empty seats in the away end with a banner that read “SWFC for sale – enough is enough” as fans protested against owner Dejphon Chansiri before they made their way in after five minutes.

The club have had to endure a turbulent off-season and are under a number of Football League-imposed embargoes for various financial breaches, including the payment of wages to players and staff being delayed for the last three months.

But the players delivered a determined display at the King Power Stadium, stunning Leicester when Nathaniel Chalobah’s deflected effort gave them a shock 1-0 lead at half-time.

Jannik Vestergaard’s close-range equaliser levelled things up after the break and things were made even harder when captain Barry Bannan picked up a red card with 14 minutes to go before Wout Faes broke Wednesday hearts three minutes from time.

Pedersen handed full credit for a spirited performance to both fans and players.

He said: “I’m sitting with a very proud feeling for the performance from the boys. It has been some tough few weeks.

“When you have a little squad and play a lot of training against your under-21s and then come to Leicester, one of the best teams in the league. It was a big challenge today.

“How the boys competed I’m really proud of this and we need those games now to get the intensity so we can take the next step.

“I think our fans are a big inspiration for our players and in an away game like today at a really good team, where you have many difficult phases in a game, and then the fans are pushing, they are helping.”

Wednesday only had 15 senior players available before the match and saw both Yan Valery and Nathaniel Chalobah come off through injury.

Pedersen admits he may have to switch the team around for the midweek EFL Cup tie against Bolton and is looking to bolster his squad.

He added: “We will look tomorrow, it was a tough lesson for the boys. Let’s see the reaction, what we can do with the Stoke game in mind on Saturday.

“We’re also searching for new players. We need to have new players, but still we need to do it with patience.

“We need new players otherwise you cannot play a championship with 46 games. We need some guys very quickly, but still, we need to have the right feeling when we we sign someone.”

Leicester boss Marti Cifuentes was pleased to secure all three points but praised Wednesday for their battling performance.

He said: “It was important to start winning at home, it’s a good feeling to start.

“Credit to Sheffield who worked hard for 99 minutes, we adjusted a few things in the second half and improved. Credit to the players, the ones who started and the ones who came off the bench.

“The championship is a tough league and a difficult one. We can’t take anything for granted. This was not an easy game.

“They (Wednesday) fought incredibly well. It’s a big club with lots of history, their fans were fantastic supporting them in a tough period.”