Barnsley FC v Sheffield Wednesday: Darren Moore on the connection with supporters which gives Owls a helping hand

An initial 38,000 seats sold out in under 60 hours. Another 6,000 were snapped up quickly after being released on Friday, despite the public transport problems getting from South Yorkshire to north London this bank holiday.

A trip to Wembley always lures out rarely-seen supporters but it shows what a big club the Reds face, and how desperate they are to move up the pyramid again.

Most of all, it shows the work manager Darren Moore has done building a connection with the public is working.

Being a big club counts for nothing when the whistle blows, as League One often shows. Discounting Barnsley – victors in both regular-season derbies – would be daft.

Yet big crowds alone can be a hindrance if they are edgy or disgruntled. Having taken over as manager too late to prevent relegation to the third tier in 2021, Moore has not had it easy in that respect.

Much like Michael Duff, who inherited a fractured club after Barnsley’s relegation 12 months ago, he quickly realised the need to carry the public with him. Fortunately it plays to his personality.

At times his pragmatic football can be hard for some to warm to, but Moore is not. The big man clapping enthusiastically from his technical area as Hi Ho Sheffield Wednesday blares out before every home game is one of the joys of watching football at Hillsborough.

There is nothing pragmatic about his attitude towards fans. Moore is just a good person doing what good people do and insisting his players follow. That it boosts his chances of victory is a very happy biproduct.

“I definitely feel connected here,” says the ex-Barnsley centre-back. “When I first came here, I had about three or four months in the job and said I was moving to Sheffield.

“Leaving the office at night and going back (home), I just felt I needed to be more in the city and connected to the football club.

“I have really enjoyed living in the city. It’s been one of the best things I have done and it has brought that connection to the club.

“I have been in the shops and around all the different places where you might see the supporters.

“When I walk around Sheffield I can’t hide, the size I am. It’s not like I can put a hat on and people don’t see me. I am grateful for the support, but it has always been two-way.”

The passion brings pressures as well as perks. The Owls lost in the play-offs last season and Moore needs to go one better, especially when as recently as mid-March they looked heavy title favourites.

“My reason to come here was to move this place forward,” he says. “It has been a mission because everybody is involved.

“I don’t feel on my own. I have the title of manager and that allows me to ask for help from everybody.

“I’d thank the team who have sold all the tickets for the final, the groundstaff that prepare the pitches all season, the girls in the ticket office, the commercial team, media team and the support base.

“Everybody will continue to help this club keep moving forward. It’s something I have always wanted and driven – the culture, mentality and togetherness.”

Thank yous to supporters are a staple of Moore’s pre-match press conference since fans were allowed back into English grounds after Covid-19, but it is more than lip service.

“The Shrewsbury trip home was special,” recalls Moore of a day when a sold-out away end roared their team to a 3-0 victory despite automatic promotion having apparently slipped from their grasp.

“The players talk (about the fans) as well. It’s greatly felt through all parts of the football club.”

Wednesday have punched beneath their weight far too long, but the more connected they are, the greater chance of putting that right.

Barnsley are another reunited club, disrespectful of reputations, happy to be undertykes. Without fans behind them, the Owls would have no chance. With them, they do.