Sheffield Wednesday can do something for the first time in 15 years vs Salford to ease some tension
Five talking points ahead of Sheffield Wednesday’s EFL Trophy clash with Salford City on Tuesday evening.
Sheffield Wednesday will be targeting a winning start to their EFL Trophy campaign when they take on Salford City in their Group A opener at the AIG Stadium this evening.
The Owls, who have never previously faced the League Two side, will be keen to get back to winning ways after successive 0-0 draws in League One against Wigan Athletic and Stockport County respectively.
Manager Henrik Pedersen has said he will take the clash with the Ammies, who won the EFL Trophy in 2020, “very, very seriously”, suggesting he will approach the game with the ambition of securing three points.
Ahead of Wednesday’s first-ever trip to the AIG Stadium, here are five pre-match talking points:
Bernard in the frame
After making his first appearance of any kind in 19 months for the Under-21s against Charlton Athletic just over a week ago, centre-back Di’Shon Bernard is in line to make his highly anticipated first-team comeback against the Ammies.
Owls boss Pedersen has confirmed that the Jamaican international is set to make his first competitive appearance since February last year, with another 45 minutes expected to be offered to the former Manchester United defender, who once had a loan spell at Salford.
Following a series of setbacks and multiple rounds of surgery, it will mark a special occasion for Bernard, who has lost more than a year and a half of his career. He was calm and composed against Charlton’s Under-21s at Hillsborough last Sunday, meaning he will be hoping to produce another accomplished performance against his former club as he continues to build up his fitness and match sharpness.
With Pedersen set to make changes to his starting XI, it would be no great surprise to see Bernard partnered by Gabriel Otegbayo in the heart of the defence.
Who starts in attack?
Having rebuilt their attacking department over the summer, Wednesday are still searching for a settled system. For example, Davis Keillor-Dunn returned to the side against Stockport at the weekend, replacing Kieran Morrison and providing another example of Pedersen tinkering and experimenting with his team.
Keillor-Dunn played on the right flank, and it is fair to say that the experiment failed. The former Barnsley man, who arrived on loan at Hillsborough from Wrexham earlier this month, is more effective in central areas, playing either as a No.9 or a No.10.
With that said, it would be nice to see the Wrexham loanee start in either of those two positions against Salford. However, Wednesday are currently short of natural wide players, with Louie Barry absent through injury and Kieran Morrison and Harry Gray now away on international duty with Northern Ireland and England’s Under-19s respectively.
With more than a fortnight to go until Wednesday’s next league outing, it is quite possible that Jamal Lowe and Mason Burstow could also start at the AIG Stadium.
Trying to ease the tension
Despite sitting second in League One after seven matches — a position that every Wednesday fan would have accepted at this stage — the Owls’ last two performances have highlighted the need for improvement.
After a lifeless second half showing against Wigan, Wednesday produced another uninspiring display against Stockport, meaning they were fortunate to earn a point and keep a clean sheet. After two uninspiring performances in succession, Wednesdayites are understandably keen to see some energy and creativity injected into the Owls’ performance against Salford.
Although the EFL Trophy is not expected to be a leading priority for the Owls this season, recent performances mean that Pedersen and his players are under a little bit of pressure heading into tonight’s game to deliver an improved performance and secure a victory.
Following the tussle with the League Two side, Wednesday are not in action again until they face Sunderland’s U21s in their second EFL Trophy group game at Hillsborough on October 6. Another lifeless display and underwhelming result could make it a long fortnight.
Targeting another away win
After back-to-back stalemates at Hillsborough, Wednesday might be happy to be back on the road this evening. The Owls have won each of their first three away games in League One this season, meaning they will be hoping to preserve their 100 per cent away record by making a winning start to their EFL Trophy campaign.
After winning 2-1 at Leyton Orient on the opening day of the season, the Owls came from behind to beat Wycombe Wanderers by the same scoreline on September 1. They then secured a third successive 2-1 away triumph with a victory at Peterborough United just over a fortnight ago.
Having won three away games in a row, Wednesday will be keen to maintain their 100 per cent away record this evening by securing a fourth successive win on the road for the first time since December 2011. That particular sequence saw them record three League One victories and a 2-1 triumph over Morecambe in the first round of the FA Cup.
Salford’s start to the season
After being beaten 3–0 by Notts County in last season’s League Two play-off final in May, Salford made the decision to sack boss Karl Robinson and replace him with Australian Peter Cklamovski during the summer.
Installed as the pre-season favourites to win the League Two title this term, the Ammies made a poor start to the campaign, losing each of their first three league games, scoring only one goal. However, September has been kind to them, with Cklamovski’s side winning ten points from their four league games so far this month.
They have won their last three matches on home soil, conceding only one goal, meaning they have started to make the AIG Stadium something of a fortress.