I would like to begin by saying a big thank you to all our fans for another year of amazing support and dedication.
The season did not go the way that we planned, reasons for which have been well documented, but we must now look forward in a positive way in the short and long term.
On that note, it has given me a lot of pride to see some of our young players step up from the Under-23s and into the first team. They have done themselves proud, helping the team through a period of uncertainty when many of their senior colleagues were unable to play.
The backing they have been given by the fans played an important part as well, this helped no end with their confidence, which as we all know is a key component in football. Jos has welcomed the younger players into the first team squad and I am sure you will agree that they have never looked out of place so credit must go to everyone concerned with their development.
Most of the young players have committed their futures to Sheffield Wednesday, others have been offered contracts, and I believe this illustrates that there are no barriers in the way of any player at our club if he has the ability and correct attitude to succeed.
The youngsters can look to the likes of Glenn Loovens and Ross Wallace as role models for their own careers. We will shortly say our goodbyes to Glenn and Ross, who have been consummate professionals in their time at Sheffield Wednesday and I thank them for their commitment to our club.
We now look forward to a summer of preparation to ensure we try to challenge at the top part of the table next season. After two years of finishing in the play-offs the expectation levels go up, this is normal. But there are no guarantees in football so we must put this season behind us, dust ourselves down, and as I say, move forward in a positive way.
As always, the one thing I can promise is that we will do our very best at every level of the club. We have made positive moves behind the scenes to ensure we continually improve the foundations of our club.
Finally, I will conclude this statement where I began. The love you all have for Sheffield Wednesday is the bedrock of our club. To have the ability to call on your level of support makes us the envy of many of our peers and only drives my passion to bring sustained success to Hillsborough. I say thank you to you all and also to our dedicated staff who work so hard day in and day out.
Enjoy your summer and we look forward to seeing you again next season.