Moment Sheffield Wednesday man proved to Danny Röhl he can help fill in for Akin Famewo

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A penalty shootout defeat at Brentford delivered far more positives than negatives for Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls lined up against the Premier League side with a much-changed side, following a trend of their midweek cup outings that saw them come to within a couple of kicks of the quarter final stage. Nine changes were made, including line-up places for starlet trio Pierce Charles, Gabriel Otegbayo and Sean Fusire. The young trio impressed, with defender Otegbayo playing out the full match to widespread plaudits.

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It was the most influential of his three outings in senior football for Wednesday having previously come on as a substitute in their first round win at Hull City before an hour’s effort at Blackpool in round three. Against a strong Brentford line-up, the Republic of Ireland-born youngster stood up to the challenge and impressed manager Danny Röhl.

The outing comes at an opportune time with Wednesday sat short of options at the back. Röhl admitted Akin Famewo was facing months out with an injury picked up at Portsmouth last week, while Michael Ihiekwe is also on the injury list. And Otegbayo’s ability is nothing new on the Owls boss, who identified him as a worthwhile project some months ago. His Brentford outing pressed home the feeling he can be useful to the first team in the coming weeks.

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He said: “When I saw him in the summer in our pre-season camp, I was very impressed with his leadership and how he leads the defensive line. He talks, he is brave and step by step he can do it. He showed today how strong he is in the defence, in the box. I think as a player he improved a lot and you see after the injury for Akin, it looks not so good for him, we need players in that centre-back position and he showed he can play at a good level. This is helpful for us.”