iFollow and biblical blocks: Heroes and villains from Sheffield Wednesday's win at Birmingham

It could well act as the screenshot of a hard-fought win in the Midlands, with Garry Monk having set the soft target of getting back to level points in the two matches before the week is out.

But that’s one for later. As in any truly great epic there were heroes and villains at play at St Andrews. Let’s take a look at who played which role as the Owls went to minus-four.

Joost van Aken

In the presence of mourners gathered around his tomb, Jesus came and he was risen.

Four days Lazarus of Bethany spent in the afterlife before his glorious resurrection. Between Joost van Aken’s last competitive outing for Sheffield Wednesday and his return at Cardiff this season, there were 766.

The Dutchman’s Owls career appeared to be dead on arrival on his return from loan at German second tier side Osnabruck last season, but a combination of Garry Monk’s ‘clean slate’ policy and his own one-track determination appears to kicked off something new.

Longevity is the key, you feel, but moments like van Aken’s match-winning late block from Jonathan Leko put a whole lot of credit in the bank. With defenders returning from injury in the coming weeks, Wednesday’s Lazarus is positioning himself nicely.

Garry Monk

Let’s have it right, Owls boss Monk has had his fair share of criticism in recent months. And while debate will range over just how much of that has been warranted, there should be just as much chatter about the tactical glories he registers.

Positioning Massimo Luongo in the way he did, as a deep-lying midfielder dropping into defence in and out of possession, was a masterstroke. It allowed Wednesday to flood the midfield in possession and meant they weren’t overstocked against the one-man Birmingham attack at the back.

Monk lost his way a touch earlier this year as Wednesday flip-flopped in style and selection. The system utilised at St Andrews was brave and proved that the Wednesday boss has rediscovered his mojo.

Massimo Luongo

All of the above? It only works if the general at the centre of the operation carries the plan out to perfection. It was a role that required intense concentration and intelligence and aside from a half-break in conversation late on, Luongo’s performance was faultless.

How long had the plan been devised? We don’t know, but even if Luongo had been slaving over his positional nooks and crannies for every minute of the two-week international break, it was a hugely impressive outing from The Star’s man of the match.

In just over a year at Hillsborough, he’s played as a box-to-box midfielder, as an attacking midfielder, as a midfield general and now in that incredibly intricate Lothar Matthaus-lite-reverse-libero-whatever-it-was. And he’s shifted into every role with ease.

Free from the out-of-character injuries that assaulted his first season in Wednesday colours, he’s been on a different level this season.

Graham Scott

Many moons will pass, knowledge absorbed and forgotten, haircuts undertaken, but no passage of time will shed light on how Kristian Pedersen was not sent off for a foul on Josh Windass midway through the first half.

Up to that point it would have been all the Owls deserved after a bright start.

Referee Scott made a handful of questionable calls on a day he won’t be cutting for the highlights reel. It does feel like Wednesday haven’t quite had the rub of the green for a little while.

Barry Bannan

The Aston Villa graduate scored again at Birmingham. Two goals in 2020, two goals at St Andrews. There’s something so wonderfully poetic about it.

After what was a relatively quiet first half, Bannan treated the Blues’ midfield – most notably his ex-Villa teammate Gary Gardner – with a level of contempt that was borderline disrespectful.

A few too many Wednesday matches have gone un-Bannan’d in recent times, yawning matches that needed someone to open them up, but he did that at Birmingham. He looks fit and firing, an exciting prospect.

iFollow

Was it us or did the technology seem to behave itself? There certainly seemed to be fewer complaints out on that there world wide web.

In fact, social media in general was a hive of love, cuddles and positivity on Saturday evening. Let’s put that down to iFollow, a hero in the eyes of thousands.

Wednesday’s recruitment team

A 1-0 win at a Birmingham side seemingly unwilling to create much in the way of entertainment is not enough to have Owls fans rolling out the bunting, but what it did show a glimmer of is an Owls squad stretched to breaking point and ready to come out swinging.

The major difference between the win this weekend and the draw against QPR? About 30 seconds of course, but also new faces and big performances from new boys.

Windass was nothing short of excellent alongside Callum Paterson up top, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Jack Marriott came of the bench, but it was the display of Aden Flint that caught the eye.

Wednesday’s recruitment team appear to have put something exciting together, on a shoestring budget, in perilous circumstances. Time will tell whether it’s enough, but signs are certainly promising.

Father Time

Seriously, how long did those last six minutes take? Finger nails at a premium. Villainous.

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