Henrik Pedersen credits Sheffield Wednesday duo after sealing Murphy Cooper loan deal
Murphy Cooper made his Sheffield Wednesday debut just 24 hours after arriving on loan from QPR.
Manager Henrik Pedersen singled out two key Sheffield Wednesday figures after the club was forced to act quickly to find a replacement goalkeeper following the loss of Pierce Charles to a shoulder injury last week.
The Northern Ireland international was forced off in the second half of last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Brentford in the FA Cup third round at Hillsborough and is now facing up to eight weeks on the sidelines, marking another crushing blow in his and Wednesday’s season.
With no other senior goalkeeper on their books, Wednesday were forced to search for a replacement during the week ahead of Saturday’s clash with Portsmouth at Hillsborough. Their search led them to QPR shot-stopper Murphy Cooper, who had just returned from a loan stint at South Yorkshire counterparts Barnsley.
Permitted to sign just two loanees in this month’s transfer window as things stand, the loss of Charles meant Wednesday were forced to alter their transfer plans and bring in a senior goalkeeper, swooping for Cooper on Friday, signing him on loan for the rest of the season, and he made his debut in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Pompey.
With recruitment restrictions still hanging over Wednesday’s head, it is not as easy as simply identifying a player and bringing him to Hillsborough. Therefore, Pedersen was only too happy to offer credit to goalkeeping coach Darryl Flahavan and recruitment chief Kevin Beadell for their roles in bringing Cooper to S6, likewise QPR for allowing Wednesday to borrow him.
Pedersen opens up on Cooper pursuit
“After the situation with Pierce, Flav and Kevin did it really, really good,” Pedersen told The Star. “We looked at a lot of goalkeepers, with some goalkeepers it was possible in one moment and in another moment it was not.
“Coops has come in and we all looked at him and were very clear we wanted to sign him. QPR were really well in this process, so we have a big thanks for them also.”
Although he was unable to mark his Wednesday debut with a clean sheet, Cooper was barely tested throughout a contest that was bereft of any sort of attacking quality, making just two saves.