Sheffield Wednesday's Josh Windass aims Rotherham United dig | OneFootball

After completing the great escape and retaining their Championship status for next season, Sheffield Wednesday's players are still in celebration mode - and rightfully so.

Danny Rohl's side pulled off one of the most remarkable escapes in Championship history, which saw them survive despite picking up two points from the first 10 games and looking dead and buried when Rohl took the job in October.

Instead, Rotherham United, Huddersfield Town and Birmingham City were all condemned to relegation, and Owls attacking midfielder Josh Windass couldn't quite resist making a dig at the Championship's worst side of 2023-24 in the form of the Millers.

Whilst Rotherham aren't Sheffield Wednesday's main rivals, there's still a bit of rivalry between the two clubs, with the two stadiums located just over seven miles apart - making Wednesday's survival even sweeter.

Josh Windass' comments will be music to the ears of Sheffield Wednesday fans

After helping his side retain their Championship status for next season, Josh Windass was a guest on the Official EFL Podcast to discuss Wednesday's season, and the struggles they faced throughout.

Host Juliette Ferrington asked Windass about the difficulties all the sides in the relegation battle faced, with Wednesday needing 53 points to survive, and Birmingham City being relegated on 50 points, one of the highest in Championship history.

The Owls' midfielder cheekily responded by saying, "That’s only because everyone took six points off Rotherham! It’s usually only 42/43 (points needed to stay up), but everyone beat them, so we needed 50."

It's fair to say that Rotherham United didn't have the best of seasons, and finished rock bottom of the league, on 27 points and after picking up just five wins all season.

They finished 18 points behind 23rd place Huddersfield Town, and despite being officially relegated at the beginning of April, it became apparent a long time before that they wouldn't be a Championship club next season.

Windass played a key role in helping the club win promotion to the Championship last season, scoring a late winner in extra time against Barnsley in the play-off final, so he was keen to stress just how important it is that they've avoided immediate relegation.

He said: "You never want to get relegated, but you speak to people inside the club, like the physios and the analysis people, and you know their job is genuinely at risk if we get relegated.

"That brings pressure into it because they want to stay up, not because they want the club to do well, but because they want a job at the end of the day. You don't want the responsibility of having people lose their jobs."

Josh Windass could have played his final game for Sheffield Wednesday

The attacking midfielder has been at the club since joining on loan in January 2020, and after making 135 appearances, scoring 40 goals and registering 17 assists, his contract is set to expire this summer.

There has been no sign of a new deal yet, but perhaps understandably so, with the club not knowing what division they'll be playing in next season until recently.

The 30-year-old made a big impact during the last few weeks of the season, and it's clear that he can still play a big part for Danny Rohl's side going forward, but it remains to be seen what the future holds.

Windass was linked with moves to both the MLS and Argentina in January, and perhaps the chance to experience a new football culture appeals to him.

If he departs this summer, he's certainly finished on a high after helping his side complete the great escape.