Sheffield Wednesday fans who have been staying away from their team came to Hillsborough to celebrate going into administration and ended their afternoon singing joyfully after seeing their side fall to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of lowly Oxford United.

This was bigger picture partying.

The stadium DJ who played all the right notes all day had it read with his choice of post-match track. I'm Still Standing belted out.

And that is why the home fans in the 27,216 crowd were so happy. "We've got our Wednesday back," they sang throughout.

The players tried to mark the occasion with a comeback in keeping with recent traditions - The Miracle of Hillsborough and the following season's Great Escape under Danny Rohl – but ultimately could not.

That might end up being the story of their season: overflowing with spirit but just not enough to get over the bear traps Dejphon Chansiri's mismanagement set for them.

Starting he day on minus six points, 15 adrift of the safety mark, the Owls need that spirit again. They started the fightback by giving Oxford a 2-0 start after a party-pooper of a first-half performance, but could only pull it back to 2-1 when time ran out on them.

Never has a club being placed into administration at the cost of 12 points been celebrated as vigorously as it was at Hillsborough on Saturday as the end of Chansiri's egotistical reign, rather than the consequences, prompted the mother of all parties.

FUSE LIT: Sean Fusire wheels away from his first goal in senior football (Image: Cameron Smith/Getty Images)

placeholder image — FUSE LIT: Sean Fusire wheels away from his first goal in senior football (Image: Cameron Smith/Getty Images)

The pre-match playlist said it all: What a Beautiful Day, Shiny Happy People, Meet the Boss and Beautiful Day amongst others.

The scoreboard operator trumped it.

"Attempting to remove" said the mock error message on the big screen. "Removal successfully completed" read the next, "Contact administrator to begin recovery", then "Rebooting..."

The crowd in what days earlier had been a near-deserted ground apart from the away end – roles were reversed this time – lapped it up of course.

PARTY-POOPER: Will Lankshear of Oxford United celebrates opening the scoring in front of the Hillsborough Kop (Image: Cameron Smith/Getty Images)

They roared their songs as the teams emerged, standing to applaud those staff who had stuck by them after 10 minutes, when they would normally be pouring out their loudest anti-Chansiri vitriol.

But for 45 minutes the only people who did not come to the party were the home players.

Rather than being inspired by the full Hillsborough experience for the first time in a long time, they shrank as Oxford's nous shone through in a low-quality game.

Oxford led in the 12th minute after a Cameron Brannagan free-kick from deep passed through to WIll Lankshear despite the different coloured bodies thrown in its path. Harry Amass appeared to be toppled over by the goalscorer, who muscled his way onto a header.

HAVING A GO: Bailey Cadamateri shoots (Image: Steve Ellis)

He celebrated in front of the Kop, who quickly started chanting "Chansiri's gone, ole, ole," to take their minds off the football.

Soon Barry Bannan was raging at Amass when he was caught cold by former Huddersfield Town player Brodie Spencer, who met a Dominic Iorfa-shaped roadblock as he closed in on goal, and limped off minutes later.

It was Iorfa dozing in the 36th minute, caught in possession by Filip Kratsev. Although he did well to recover as the striker bore down on Joe Lumley, an unsettled Wednesday conceded a free-kick Brannagan hammered home from a distance getting on for 30 yards, with Lumley unable to get across to save.

Lumley would have to save again from Krastev after Wednesday failed to deal with a Nik Prelece delivery.

All the Owls really offered in return was two Bailey Cadamarteri efforts saved by Jamie Cuimming after Svante Ingelsson, then Bannan, played him through.

But for whatever reason, the second half was different.

COMPUTER SAYS LOL: The Hillsborough scoreboard operator has some fun at the expense of deposed Sheffield Wednesday chairman Dejphon Chansiri (Image: Cameron Smith/Getty Images)

After eight minutes of front-footed football Amass, transformed during the interval, got to the byline and pulled a ball back Iorfa miscontrolled. No matter, Sean Fusire ran onto it to smash his first goal in senior football.

And from there it was defence versus attack, Yan Valery driving through midfield, Amass and Liam Palmer down the flanks.

Cadamarteri just failed to stretch to an Ingelsson cross, then the Swede had a flick save. Twice the ball was worked to Bannan in two good positions for him, but hemissed the target both times. Amass had a shot blocked, put another straight at Cumming and also saw a header saved.

Charlie McNeill shot wide after being played over the top. When Valery beat Luke Harris, Jamal Lowe volleyed at the keeper.

With the clock ticking down, Oxford had a couple of chances on the counter-attack, Przemyslaw Placeta missing the target when clean through and Mark Harris doing likewise for Oxford.

It was not to be for Wednesday but there was no spoiling the party.

Sheffield Wednesday: Lumley; Palmer, Iorfa, M Lowe; Fusire (McNeill 76), Valery, Bannan, Ingelsson, Amass; J Lowe, Cadamarteri (Ugbo 63).

Unused substitutes: Otegbayo, Horvath, Johnson, Emery, Alao, Fernandes, Thornton.

Oxford United: Cumming; Spencer (Long 22), Helik, Brown, Davies (M Harris 76), Currie; De Keersmaecker, Krastev (Placheta 76), Brannagan (Vaulks 54); Lankshear, Prelec (L Harris 76).

Unused substitutes: Mills, Dembele, Ingram, Leigh.

Referee: P Tierney (Wigan).