Sheffield Wednesday manager, Henrik Pedersen, has admitted that it’s not helpful to hear Owls fans jeering one of their own players.

Iké Ugbo’s wait for a goal continued over the weekend after he was once again unable to find the net in the Steel City derby against Sheffield United. The forward hasn’t found the net in a league game since April 2024.

But he was handed a starting place ahead of Bailey Cadamarteri on Sunday afternoon when the Blades came to town, with Pedersen hoping that it was a game in which he could end his wait, however it wasn’t to be as he was substituted with 73 minutes gone and the score at 2-0.

Sadly, along with his substitution came some ironic cheers from the home supporters, with fans making their thoughts about his goal drought well known. The 27-year-old has been praised by Pedersen for his work on the pitch despite his lack of goals, but ultimately he’ll always be judged for how many times he finds the net.

Ike Ugbo was ironically cheered off by Sheffield Wednesday fans

Speaking after the 3-0 defeat at Hillsborough, Pedersen said of the unsavoury moment, “I know Ike is working really, really hard in training, and is doing all that he can to do the best for himself, for the team and for the club. We’re doing all that we can to support, and I’m sure he’ll keep on going in the hope that there will come more and more.”

And it can’t be very helpful, he was asked… “Of course not,” came the reply.

Wednesday now turn their attentions to Millwall away in midweek, a venue where Ugbo scored in February of last year during this fantastic run to aid the Owls’ Championship survival. If he can find the net there once again then it would be a huge weight off his shoulders, but his manager has a big decision to make on whether he makes the XI or not at The Den.