Wednesday beaten but return of key defender a major positive
Sheffield Wednesday suffered a 2-0 defeat in their latest warm up game for the 2021-22 season on Saturday afternoon. The Owls were beaten by near neighbours Barnsley in a behind-closed-doors game at the training ground of the Championship club.
A goal in each half was enough to win it for the home side but the Owls certainly had their moments. Wednesday started brightly and had the best of the chances in the opening 15 minutes but fell behind on 20 minutes when a speculative shot from Williams somehow got beyond the grasp of Cameron Dawson at his near post.
Barnsley got the upper hand in the first half from that point but there were few more chances as they went into the break 1-0 up. Unlike in previous pre-season games to date, Darren Moore kept his starting 11 on the pitch for around 15 minutes before making a host of changes. With 20 minutes to go Barnsley doubled their lead though Odour as Wednesday failed to clear their lines, before a significant positive for the visitors.
Having been out of action for most of last season, defender Dominic Iorfa came on for his first pre-season appearance. If he can prove his fitness ahead of the start of the campaign next month it will be a huge boost for the Owls.
Dele Bashiru looked lively in the closing exchanges and was denied a goal by a smart save from Walton as the Owls failed to score for the first time this summer. The result was probably a fair reflection of the game with the Championship side deserving their win but at this stage of pre-season the games are as much about gaining fitness and understanding as they are about results and it would be a tad foolish to read too much into a defeat.
One concern however may be the form of the goalkeepers. Dawson will be disappointed with his contribution to the opening goal and it is widely rumoured that Wednesday are in the market for a new keeper.
Next up for Darren Moore’s side is another trip to one of his former clubs, West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday.