Resignation all round for Grimsby and Wednesday
Much Ado About Nothing would have been an appropriate title for this production, one in which both teams suffered more harm than good and in doing so increased their respective chances of relegation.
Second Division football for next term is now almost an inevitable for Sheffield Wednesday and Grimsby, and on this evidence it is easy to see why. The overwhelming lack of skill was matched only by the air of resignation that hung over the ground at the final whistle and, given the financial problems of the two clubs, a spell in administration looms.
Both clubs must win their three remaining games to have a decent chance of staying up, but even that might not be enough. Wednesday travel to Brighton today before meeting Burnley and Walsall, while Grimsby entertain Walsall this afternoon before finishing the campaign with difficult fixtures against Reading and Brighton.
Grimsby have flirted with relegation for the past three seasons but this time round they have left themselves too much to do, while Wednesday are caught in a downward spiral that shows no signs of slowing.
The 35-year-old goalkeeper Kevin Pressman has spent 16 seasons, his whole career, at Hillsborough and admits he has never known things to be so bad. He blames financial mismanagement at boardroom level for the demise and accepts a heavy price must be paid.
"It's a shame for everybody connected with the club, but even more so for people like me," he said. "The problems are a result of the dream we tried to chase many years ago. Now we must get our house in order by learning the hard way. In every aspect, this is the worst I've known it here.
"It hurts me massively. I can remember what things were like when it was going well, but now I'm part of the failure as well as the success and that is hard to deal with.
"[The manager] Chris Turner has made a difference, but he's still not had any funds to make a signing. A lot of clubs are struggling and he's had nothing to play with.
"It's easy to be wise after the event, but we need players with enthusiasm and hunger. We must be positive; there is no point in looking back. The most important thing is to learn from the mistakes of the past."
Not surprisingly, chances to win the game were few and far between. Pressman produced fine saves to deny Tony Gallimore and Adam Bolder, while at the opposite end Shefki Kuqi and Lloyd Owusu squan dered openings, but in truth, neither side deserved to win.
Turner believes there is genuine hope for the future, even if that means having to bounce back from the Second Division.
"Whatever happens, we have shown that we now have people in charge that can take this club in a direction it hasn't being going in in the past," he said. "The rebuilding starts in the summer. My sole aim will be to get out of that league and not hang around for too long."
Grimsby's player-manager Paul Groves was quick to put his club's problems into perspective. "We finished fourth from bottom last season and common sense said that we needed to invest. But the club wasn't in a financial position to strengthen. We had to slash the squad by half earlier this season just to survive.
"The club has worked hard not to go into administration; financial survival was the priority, but now it seems the lack of depth is going to be a decisive factor."