A former Sheffield Wednesday star has made a surprise return to Hillsborough.
Sheffield Wednesday’s U18s took to Hillsborough last night as they hosted Reading in the FA Youth Cup.
After narrowly beating Hemel Hempstead Town in last month’s third round, The Owls returned from their winter break with a 4-0 defeat this week.
A hat-trick from Kiyan Coke-Miles-Smith and a fourth from Taylan Harris confirmed the victory for the visitors, while Sheffield Wednesday U18s made it only one win in their last seven games in all competitions.
While fans were left disappointed by the result, one talking point was the return of Giles Coke. The Star have reported that he was spotted at the match last night.
Giles Coke joined Sheffield Wednesday from Motherwell in 2010 and went onto make 101 appearances for the club, helping them win promotion from League One in 2011.
After playing for the likes of Ipswich Town and Grimsby, the 37-year-old retired in 2022 and took up a role as a youth development coach with The Mariners.
Coke left Grimsby in May and has been without a job ever since, but was spotted on the touchline for Sheffield Wednesday U18s’ FA Cup clash yesterday.
Coke was joined by the U18s manager, Andy Sharp, as well as Owls star, Will Vaulks.
The former midfielder looks to be earning himself a place with the youth team following his exit from Blundell Park. It will be interesting to see whether he resumes his spot on their upcoming clash with Barnsley this weekend.
Highlights of Giles Coke’s career at Hillsborough
Giles Coke made his Sheffield Wednesday debut in a 2-0 win over Dagenham & Redbridge in August 2010.
He went onto score his first goal for The Owls against Bury in the League Cup a few days later – before going onto finish the campaign with 27 appearances in the third tier, scoring four goals and providing five assists.
Coke was then sent out on loan to Bury and Swindon Town, before returning in 2013. He reastablished himself as a regular under Stuart Grey, making 28 appearances in the Championship.
His final season at Hillsborough saw him win Sheffield Wednesday’s Goal of 2014 for his strike against Brighton & Hove Albion at the start of the term, before was released at the end of the campaign.
Coke only managed a handful of appearances in his following stints, before ending his playing career with Grimsby after helping them win the National League play-offs.