Sheffield Wednesday fan boycott continues with Grimsby to heavily outnumber home support

Sheffield Wednesday supporters inside Hillsborough for tonight's Carabao Cup clash against Grimsby are set to be heavily outnumbered by the travelling support as Owls fans continue to protest against owner Dejphon Chansiri.

The Mariners dramatically sealed their place in round three by beating Manchester United on penalties at Blundell Park after a marathon shootout.

Their reward was a trip to Hillsborough to face Wednesday, a club on their knees amid a backdrop of utter chaos behind the scenes.

Chansiri's tenure has lurched from one disaster to the next, with several missed wage payments so far this year and a transfer embargo that has left a threadbare squad.

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The EFL have put a ban on Wednesday registering new players until Chansiri provides proof he can fund the club.

Only Cardiff goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, signed on an emergency loan deal because the Owls' only senior shot-stopper Pierce Charles is injured, and United youngster Harry Amass arrived at the club over the summer.

The Amass deal was ratified at the 11th hour on deadline day and only because United have stumped up the entirety of his wages, plus other costs including his accommodation in South Yorkshire.

Wednesday did have other deals lined up for other young players to arrive on loan, but they were blocked. It comes after a clutch of first-team players left the club, some walking away from their contracts after not being paid.

Fans are at the end of their tether and have decided not to fund Chansiri going forward. Season ticket holders have been urged not to buy food, drink or merchandise in the stadium, and a total boycott of cup fixtures has been called for by the club's Supporters' Trust.

Wednesday are understood to have sold somewhere in the region of 3,200 tickets to home supporters for tonight's fixture, with only the South Stand at Hillsborough open for Owls fans.

Grimsby, meanwhile, sold their initial allocation of 4,000 tickets in the Leppings Lane end. They were subsequently allocated a further 2,000 tickets in the North Stand, on the proviso all these were sold, making it financially prudent for their hosts to staff the area.

It means there will be somewhere in the region of DOUBLE the number of away fans than home supporters in the stadium this evening.

Wednesday have taken just a solitary point from their opening five Championship fixtures, being kept off the bottom only by pointless neighbours Sheffield United.

But in the Carabao Cup, what is for all intents and purposes an academy team has produced stirring performances against Bolton and Leeds to reach round three, winning both games on penalties.

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