Josh Windass on his Sheffield Wednesday departure - 'The word was broken'

Windass and Michael Smith were the only two senior players who exercised their right to break their contracts when they were not paid on time and in full two months running.

Smith joined Preston North End, whereas Windass moved to Wrexham.

In an interview with the Sheffield Star, Windass outlined how why he had already decided he wanted to move on in the summer, even before this opportunity presented itself.

“I had a conversation in the January about it,” he said. “When I signed my contract last summer, I took a bit of a pay cut because the season before I had an injury. That was on the terms that if I was playing a lot and scoring goals, I would be offered a new contract.

“For whatever reason that never materialised and so I lost the trust behind that plan. The word was broken, so I just carried on playing and did my job.

"I knew from then that at the end of that season it was time to leave, I did my job and gave it everything but that promise was broken.

"I decided to move on and I'm delighted to be here (at Wrexham) now.”

WIndass scored 13 goals last season, all in the Championship. It made him the Owls' top-scorer, five ahead of the next highest – Smith. The goals also made Windass Wednesday's highest-scoring player in the 21st Century.

Despite the manner of his departure, Windass says he still believes owner/chairman Dejphon Chansiri has Wednesday's best interests in half.

The financial crisis which led to Windass' departure came about when Chansiri stopped bankrolling the club as he has for a decade. There are concerted campaigns by supporters to force the Thai businessman to sell the club for a reasonable price, with even the Football League urging him to either do that or find it properly.

At present there are few indications that Chansiri is inclined to do the former, and concerns he is unable to do the latter.

Chansiri is facing Football League charges over failing to meet his financial obligations, as are the club.

Despite all that, Windass said: "When I was at the club I got on with the chairman and his family. It’s easy for me to say now and I know I might get hammered by the fans for this, but I do believe they care about the club.

"The way it’s been run the last couple of years, it might be difficult to believe that, because of the trouble they’re in. Obviously the situation seems to have got on top of people.

“Everything in football comes in cycles and Sheffield Wednesday will turn it around. A club with that fanbase, it's inevitable.

“I want the club to do really well. I just want the club to get back on its feet and you can see with the supporters, they deserve that.”

You can read the interview in full here.