Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeping trio on new coaches, Loughborough and initiation songs
Teenage stopper Josh Render has trained with the first team this week having been promoted from the club’s academy ranks, impressing alongside senior men Cameron Dawson and Joe Wildsmith at the Owls’ Loughborough University training base.
And they’ve been joined by new goalkeeping coach Darryl Flahavan, who has put them through their paces at the five-day camp.
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Hide AdMuch has been made of the competition facing long-time friends Dawson and Wildsmith this season, with both of them having taken their place in goal for periods of last season.
Speaking to the club’s YouTube channel, Wildsmith said: “We all push each other.
“Obviously Flavs [Flahavan] was come in and upped it again, he’s obviously a new face so we’re all out to impress and it’s been good and competitive. Everyone is pushing each other, it’s been fun and we’re all learning and kicking on.
“The week has been great, good training, good standard, good enthusiasm, a great work rate from the boys, which is what the gaffer wants basically. They’re all putting the work in and so are we in the goalie group.”
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Hide AdLike the outfield players, the goalkeeping group appears to have been in fine spirits all week. The Owls take on Premier League Leicester City in a friendly match tomorrow afternoon, where is expected that both Wildsmith and Dawson will receive gametime.
On settling in with Flahavan, Dawson said: “We’ve had a great week, we’ve had a couple of really tough days here and then a couple of activities which was great, good to spend some time in each other’s company, then back to the work today. It’s been really tough but really rewarding as well.
“It’s obviously been different, every coach works differently, so we’re learning some new things and some new practices and really being open-minded in terms of learning how he wants to coach us. We’re trying to implement that in the stuff we do. We’re working hard.
“We’re working hard, we’re first on the training pitch and last off it, trying to get those hours in and hopefully we get rewarded come when the season starts.”
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Hide AdRender, 19, was one of the six players to have undertaken the traditional initiation ceremony for those travelling with the first team for the first time. The ritual involves singing in front of the rest of an expectant group, a task Dawson believes has become friendlier since he went through it.
“He’s been excellent,” he said on Render. “He was one of the better ones with the old song. It’s gone a bit soft, though since me and Joe had to do it, we got much more abuse, it’s gone all nice now, it’s far too nice!
“He did well and it’s nice to have him with us.”
Young Render said: “It’s been great, they both pass on their experiences to me and it’s great to learn from them. They’ve both played a lot of games, they both know a lot and have played a lot of games so to learn from them is good.”