Eyes set on 'undervalued' ex-Sheffield Wednesday man who deserves 'fantastic respect' on S6 return
Wrexham’s first league visit to Sheffield Wednesday in 21 years will also act as the return to Hillsborough for one of the Owls’ foremost modern talents.
Henrik Pedersen’s crisis-battling side are looking to buck the odds and end a painful run of 22 league matches without a win against a side battling for position at the other end of the table. They’ll attempt do so without club legend Barry Bannan, who will be in the capital facing old foes Sheffield United in the colours of his new club Millwall.
The departure of Bannan has acted as the latest kick in a 12-month beating for the Wednesday fanbase. One such kick arrived back in July, with the double departure of promotion heroes Josh Windass and Michael Smith via the cancellation of their contracts. Windass, who headed the iconic Wembley winner that sealed the Owls’ promotion from League One in 2023 and became the club’s biggest goalscorer this century in his final appearance, will walk out at S6 for the first time since his departure to Wrexham.
The attacking midfielder, who scored 53 goals and provided 23 assists in his 183 appearances for Wednesday, has kicked off his Red Dragons career in style, scoring eight times so far this season. Speaking ahead of the clash, Pedersen wasted no time in paying tribute to his former colleague.
He said: “First of all they have a very good squad and they have a fantastic number 10 that we miss very much at Sheffield Wednesday, Josh Windass. I am really looking forward to seeing him again. He is one of the best players in their team, they have Keiffer up front. In general they have a very strong team, a physically strong team.”
Rightly or wrongly, the nature of Windass’ exit from Hillsborough ruffled a few feathers in the Owls fanbase, raising questions as to the sort of reception he might receive. Pedersen has no doubt as to how he sees things.
“He deserves a fantastic respect,” the Dane continued. “I love Josh, he is a fantastic number 10 and honestly I think he is a very undervalued player in this 10 position. He can decide a game on his own, he has good individual quality and this is what everybody is watching, but also he is a fantastic team player. He runs a lot, he has a good brain to be a part of the team. He has a lot of good quality and he is such a strong number 10.”