Albion Nostalgia: Leon Knight had his say on and off the pitch to silence Owls

But he did a fair bit off it too, as did opposing manager Chris Turner, before and after a 2-0 success in the third tier before 6,602 fans soaking up the sunshine at Withdean.

Sussex cricketers including skipper Chris Adams and 100-wicket Mushtaq Ahmed took the applause as they celebrated their first ever County Championship title.

Chris Adams and Murray Goodwin lead Sussex out as they show off their County Championship silverware

But the biggest cheers were for Knight as he took his goals tally to seven in his first nine games for the club in the early weeks of the 2003-04 campaign.

Knight had played for Wednesday on loan from Chelsea the previous season and been dismissed as a “failed footballer” by Owls boss Turner.

Albion fans were just getting used to their little forward’s talents and temperament at the time.

Leon Knight fires Albion into an early lead

He had his say before the match, then pointed to the Wednesday dugout after an eighth-minute opener from Kerry Mayo’s pass.

Knight enjoyed the moment but called a truce with Turner after the match.

He said: “It would give any player an extra spur to show the manager what I’m capable of and what he missed.

“I think I’m satisfied. Until we play them at Hillsborough in March I haven’t got anything to say. He can say what he wants really, but I’m not interested.”

Turner conceded: “Leon did what Leon is good at for the first goal.

“I stand by the statement I made about him and I am not going to lower myself into a slanging match with a player.

Chris McPhee scores the second as Lloyd Owusu tries to clear off the line

“He’s a young fella. I always said he has got talent but, at that particular time at Sheffield Wednesday, we needed more.”

Albion chief Steve Coppell was keen to calm the whole thing down.

He said: “Football is about opinions. If you look at Leon’s games and goals he has done all right.

“He has got a long way to go. He is the first to admit he has got to put a season in and really have a big goal tally against his name to earn the respect of his fellow professionals and people that work for other clubs.”

Knight went on to enjoy the type of season Coppell was talking about, culminating in the penalty which won the play-off final against Bristol City at the Millennium Stadium.

Whether he fulfilled his potential from there is open to debate.

On this occasion, he left the action with a knock, allowing local boy Chris McPhee, pictured, to come on and score his first league goal.

McPhee resolved an 83rd-minute scramble in which Guy Butters hit the bar.

Albion outplayed a Wednesday side who only perked up when Lloyd Owusu went on as sub on the hour.

The win left the hosts second, tucked in behind pacesetting Port Vale, but there were twists, turns and a change of manager ahead before Knight had his final say of the season in Cardiff.

Albion: Kuipers; Hinshelwood, Cullip, Butters; Mayo; Hart, Oatway (Carpenter 57), Rodger, Jones; Henderson, Knight (McPhee 73).

Wednesday: Pressman, D.Smith, Bromby, Quinn, McLaren, P.Smith (Ndumbu-Nsungu 60), Haslam, Beswetherick (Barry-Murphy 84), Coke, Proudlock, Kuqi (Owusu 60).