Sheffield Wednesday await big cup draw after penalty heroics at Hillsborough

Pierce Charles saved two penalties in the shootout as the Owls beat Barnsley following a 1-1 draw, with Rio Shipston getting the only goal in the game before it went all the way to spot kicks.

The result means that they’re into the final 32 teams in the competition, and some big guns could be waiting for the young Owls after they reached this stage for the second season in a row.

Andy Holdsworth, the U18s manager, was full of praise for his side as they battled to the end at Hillsborough, saying that fixtures like this one aid their development.

Speaking to The Star, Holdsworth said, “I thought the lads that stepped up to take the penalties showed nerves of steel, and we gladly got the result that we wanted…

“It’s good for their development, but both our technical staff and theirs agreed that the game kind of fizzled out after about 75 minutes – and then we had the extra 30 minutes of extra time on top of it. We’d have been happy to go straight to penalties!

“But it’s part of the game, it’s pleasing that they got through it, and we’re kind of injury-free as well.”

The fourth round ties have got to be played out by January 21st, and the youngsters will now be waiting to find out who they’ll be pitted against in the new year.

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