Paul Heckingbottom makes Sheffield Wednesday prediction and identifies Owls strength after Preston friendly
Sheffield Wednesday secured their first victory of pre-season by beating Preston North End 3-2 at the weekend.
Preston North End manager Paul Heckingbottom is backing Sheffield Wednesday to be “strong” in League One this coming season after his side were beaten 3-2 by the Owls in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.
Following a change of venue, Wednesday travelled to North End’s Euxton training ground for their third outing of the summer and secured their first victory of pre-season through goals from Jamal Lowe, summer signing Louie Barry and Reece Johnson.
The game was split into two 60-minute halves, meaning Owls manager Henrik Pedersen, who has been able to bring in nine new signings so far this summer, was given the opportunity to rotate his squad and give as many players as possible valuable minutes.
Pedersen named a strong XI for the opening 60 minutes, featuring six new signings, and goals from Lowe and Barry had Wednesday 2-0 up at the interval. The Dane mixed things up at the break, making ten changes, meaning the Owls’ second half XI was predominantly made up of youngsters.
Despite being pegged back to 2-2 following goals from Alfie Devine and Callum Lang, Wednesday found the desire and determination to get their noses back in front through Johnson and hold on for their first win of their pre-season schedule.
Both sides were able to take positives out of the game, with fitness the most important aspect at this stage of the summer, and it was Wednesday’s fitness levels that impressed former Owls defender Heckingbottom.
“The team we put out in the first half faced a strong Wednesday XI, so they probably got more out of it than the second group,” Heckingbottom told North End’s website.
“We’re working hard, it was another 60 minutes and also a big jump from the two 45-minute halves against Bamber Bridge. Sheffield Wednesday are very fit and will be strong next season, so I’m happy we’re taking more steps forward.”
Wednesday’s squad and coaching staff flew out to Budapest, Hungary, on Sunday and will spend the next few days training in the Hungarian capital. They will then cross the border into the Austrian capital of Vienna at the end of the week, where they will take on Stoke City in their latest friendly this weekend.