'Showed his class' - Henrik Pedersen salutes Sheffield Wednesday star after Ipswich Town defeat
Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles was hailed by boss Henrik Pedersen for his performance against Ipswich Town.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen lauded goalkeeper Pierce Charles after he produced a series of fine saves in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
The Northern Ireland international, despite being powerless to stop Wednesday from sliding to a sixth defeat in their last seven Championship outings, made five saves to prevent Ipswich from putting an even healthier look to the scoreline.
His best save came right at the end when he somehow denied Tractor Boys striker Ivón Azón, who came on to replace former Wednesday man George Hirst in the first half, with his legs after he appeared destined to score from the edge of the six-yard box.
Charles, who will not celebrate his 21st birthday until July, has made 16 saves in his first three appearances since his return from a lengthy stint on the sidelines earlier this month, a handful of which have been eye-catching.
Having developed a reputation for his kicking ability and being able to help Wednesday build up from the back, it is currently his shot-stopping expertise that is earning him plenty of plaudits.
Pedersen lauds Charles
And after Pedersen recently encouraged the youngster to continue improving the defensive side of his game, the Owls boss was only too happy to wax lyrical about the Wednesday No.1 in his post-match assessment.
"I said to him, 'I'm not a goalkeeper coach, but I think you were fantastic today'," Pedersen said, speaking to The Star. "One thing is offensively, but defensively, he also showed his class today.
"To make a good performance away in Ipswich, you need a good goalkeeper, and he was a good goalkeeper today.
"Yes, he was really good for us today. Again, you need a good goalkeeper to play a good away game in Ipswich, otherwise they will always create something, and they also created something today, but he was amazing."