FRANCIS Jeffers is not the only high-profile striker who has been looking for a starting place as Wednesday and Plymouth get set to face each other tomorrow.
Steve MacLean, whose Hillsborough exit was one of the factors behind Jeffers' arrival, is one of the players to have suffered in an extraordinary shake-up by Paul Sturrock of his team.
MacLean, a £500,000 signing from Cardiff last January, and who played against the Owls at Hillsborough in April, has played no part in the Pilgrims' revival run of three wins and a draw..
Paul Gallagher, who is on loan from Blackburn, and Rory Fallon, the former Barnsley striker, have been the regular front two and look set to face the Owls.
While Jeffers could be on the brink of a Hillsborough revival after injury problems following his £700,000 signing from Blackburn, there is speculation that MacLean could be on his way out of Home Park.
MacLean was not the only player to be axed as Sturrock took bold action to improve his team's fortunes.
Record signing Simon Walton, a £750,000 midfield buy from Southampton; Jason Puncheon, a £250,000 signing from Barnet; and keeper Graham Stack, a summer signing from Reading, were among the others.
The former Wednesday manager made seven changes after a 2-1 home defeat by Norwich for a match at Watford last month, and 10 of the 11 who started at Vicarage Road have also played in all of these last four games.
Plymouth beat Watford 2-1 away, Crystal Palace 2-1 away and Forest 1-0 at home, and were two up at Bristol City on Tuesday before being pegged back to a 2-2 draw.
In the battle for striker places, MacLean has competition from Emile Mpenza and Jermaine Easter as well as Fallon and Gallagher.
Sturrock favours a 4-4-1-1 formation, with Gallagher just behind Fallon. He used this system at times when he was Wednesday manager.
Competition for places is pinpointed by captain Karl Duguid as a factor in the team's resurgence.
The rivalry has been so intense that the club's two most expensive-ever signings, MacLean and Walton, have not even made the subs' bench.
Duguid said: "It just shows you what quality we have, and everyone is under pressure to do well.
"That's probably another reason why we are doing so well.
"We know there are players who aren't in the team and want to get in the team. They are pushing us hard."
Former Wednesday midfielder Yoann Folly is among those challenging for a start tomorrow. He played as a 69th-minute substitute in Tuesday's match at Bristol City.
Sturrock may consider a change or two against the Owls, perhaps in midfield, to freshen up the team, rather than stick with the same line-up through the busy spell of three games in eight days and perhaps risk a touch of tiredness creeping in.
But he has no complaints about the way his players have been producing the results.
"It shows you there is a bit of gumption about these boys," he said.
"They want to play for each other, and they are prepared to run and bite and scratch, and that's all we can really ask.
"But there is a modicum of ability to this lot as well. That was seen in the first half against Bristol City."
Plymouth are said to have played well in that period but were hit by a second-half fightback
Sturrock's left-back is Chris Barker, well known as being Sheffield-born and a Wednesdayite, who had a extraordinary start to his Plymouth career.
After being a late signing from QPR and arriving on the first Saturday of the season, he was plunged straight into the team and was in the tunnel waiting to go out when the ref saw he was wearing a ring that contravened the rules about jewellery.
He was unable to get the ring off, and Jim Paterson was sent out to get ready to take his place.
But a hacksaw did the job - even though the ring was of sentimental value as it was given to Barker by his late father.
SPURR COMES OF AGE FOR OWLS ON TWO COUNTS:
see the Green'Un newspaper, available from Saturday night for the full storyWhat do you think? Post your comments below. READ MORE Blades Watch 08-09 - The Season So FarOwls Watch 08-09 - The Season So FarWatch Premiership highlights, international football, golf, tennis, darts and much moreFootball headlinesMore BladesMore OwlsMore SpireitesMore RoversMore RedsMore MillersMore Ice HockeyMore rugby leagueMore rugby unionMore boxingSports columnistsAll sport categoriesThe full article contains 800 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
