Sheffield Wednesday: Lee Bullen backs Jordan Thorniley after 'quality' Rotherham display

The 22-year-old missed much of pre-season while dealing with personal problems and started his first match since February.

Thorniley, an Everton academy product, is into his third season with the Owls and produced a confident display both in defence and with the ball at his feet.

One second-half run saw him beat two men with a Cruyff turn that had the Wednesday crowd on their feet.

“He missed a fair bit of pre-season but he also grew into the game and stood up to everything,” Bullen said.

“He was aggressive and quality on the ball. He had one pirouette in the second half; I don't know if he had ballet shots on or not, but the kid has got quality.

“We are very lucky to have the options that we have.”

Though the Wednesday performance was far from vintage, the caretaker manager was full of praise for his side, who came through the test despite making nine changes.

He said: “The lads showed two sides to their game. One to keep passing and play their football late on in the game but early on they had to really dig in and show their defensive quality.”