Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup: 40 years on from semi-final with Brighton at Arsenal

On the footballing front, Sheffield Wednesday provided their own enchanting story in 1983 which almost ended in the nirvana of a first Wembley appearance in 17 years.

Ultimately, it was a decade later in 1993 that the Owls – beaten FA Cup finalists in 1966 – would step out on the hallowed turf in the competition's showpiece.

This Saturday, one of the ties of the third round sees Wednesday host Newcastle United and it was a Northumbrian in Jack Charlton who put the club's name back on the map on the cup stage again four decades ago.

Agonisingly, it ended in tears on a hot spring day at Highbury and soon after, Charlton headed off into the sunset.

Wednesday started their 1982-83 cup odyssey at Southend. A goalless draw in front of a crowd of under 7,000 hardly hinted at what lay ahead.

The replay saw both sides deadlocked after extra time at 2-2, with Gary Megson – who would net in five successive rounds for his boyhood club – and Mark Smith on target for the Owls.

The Shrimpers' resistance was eventually broken in a second Hillsborough replay. Kevin Taylor struck a brace in a 2-1 win with former Owls defender Dave Cusack replying.

Wednesday were also sent to the seaside in round four and were again pushed all the way by plucky lower-division opponents in Torquay before prevailing 3-2. It was a tie notable for a goal after just 39 seconds for Mick Lyons with Mel Sterland and Megson adding further strikes to earn Wednesday a place in the last 16 for the first time in a decade.

The run was helping to provide warmth in a cold winter in the process. Charlton's side were falling off the promotion pace badly in the old second division and ended up winning just two league games in 19 from early November up to the end of March.

Round five sent Wednesday on their travels for a third successive round to a place where they enjoyed success in the early eighties in Cambridge. Megson – whose father Don captained the Owls against Everton in the '66 showpiece – bagged a brace in a 2-1 victory.

Again, the Owls hit the road for the quarter-finals to a Burnley side who had hammered them 4-1 in the league on New Year's Day and had won all seven cup games at fortress Turf Moor that season.

Wednesday had better fortune this time.

Bob Bolder saved a controversial penalty from Steve Taylor, who hit a hat-trick in that league win before Gary Bannister cashed in on a Martin Dobson error to put the Owls in front.

But Burnley – who reached the semis of the League Cup that season – levelled through Tommy Cassidy.

Wednesday were without the suspended Lyons and Bannister, who had injured a cheekbone, for the replay, but cast aside the dual blow to register a magnificent 5-1 victory in the replay in front of 41,731 at Hillsborough – thanks to doubles from Andy McCulloch and Gary Shelton and the inevitable Megson goal.

They went on to avoid Manchester United and Arsenal in the semi-finals and were drawn instead with Division One strugglers Brighton, who had already knocked out Liverpool at Anfield alongside Manchester City and Norwich.

Wednesdayites travelled in their thousands and the North Bank was a sea of blue and white. Unfortunately, it was those in the same colours at the Clock End who were celebrating among the 54,000 sell-out crowd.

It was a game remembered for a screaming Jimmy Case free-kick, with Ante Mirocevic levelling in the second half following a scramble. Michael Robinson restored Albion's lead and heroics from keeper Graham Moseley and Steve Foster – who acrobatically cleared a McCulloch header off the line – broke Wednesday hearts.

The omens were perhaps against the Owls right from the start.

It was a day when David Mills and Pat Heard – preferred to Charlie Williamson at left-back with Ian Bailey having broken his leg the week before – missed the team bus from the Owls' London hotel and had to get a taxi to Highbury.

Wednesday missed Wembley, assistant Maurice Setters missed out on facing his old club Manchester United in the final and Charlton was inconsolable.

In a book entitled 'Two Brothers – the life and times of Bobby and Jackie Charlton', Owls striker John Pearson recalled: "Jack was absolutely gutted; he was absolutely distraught.

"I was there thinking: 'This is a man who won all these trophies, this is a man who won the World Cup and he's devastated. It just showed how much he cared about and loved the club."

Charlton soon exited and it was left to Howard Wilkinson to complete the restoration job.