Sheffield Wednesday reserves eased to a home victory at Stocksbridge against Walsall on Tuesday as a number of players looked to stake their claim for a spot in the first team.
Owls boss Brian Laws stated that changes would be made for the trip to Bristol City at the weekend following an unacceptable team display in the drubbing at Watford and it seems that he will have a few options at his disposal.
After a demoralising defeat at Derby at the beginning of the month changes to the side, particularly the defence looked inevitable but some players were spared the axe and given another chance due to injuries to the likes of Richard Wood and Richard Hinds.
Richard Wood has been kept out for longer than was initially hoped and may not be fit for the Bristol game but Richard Hinds returned to action in the second string’s 4-2 win against Walsall and is a viable option to replace struggling captain Darren Purse at the heart of the Owls defence. Hinds played the full game and scored the Owls 2nd goal shortly before half-time. Right back Frank Simek has been said to be lacking match fitness but once again got another 90 minutes under his belt for the reserves and must be pushing Lewis Buxton close for his place in the 1st team.
Francis Jeffers is far from being a fans favourite on the back of his mindless dismissal in the Carling Cup defeat at Port Vale and his overall contribution since joining the Owls but since his red card he has knuckled down for the reserves and bagged another brace on Tuesday. Jeffers may not be a popular choice but with Luke Varney looking goal shy of late, Leon Clarke misfiring and Akpo Sodje looking totally out of sorts his the player once dubbed the fox in the box warrants a place on the bench as he bids to right his wrongs.
Tommy Miller has yet to make any real impression in his first team appearances to date and was played for 60 minutes against Walsall, scoring from the penalty spot but the stand out performance came from Etienne Esajas. The Dutch winger set up 3 of the home sides 4 goals and will be pushing for a start on Saturday having recently lost his place following a bout of illness.
Despite the performance of the Dutchman it is the displays and subsequent fitness of Hinds and Simek that are likely to be assessed thoroughly in the build up to Saturday’s game as Brian Laws looks to address the issues that have led to his team having one of the most porous defences in the Championship, particularly on their travels.