Watch Sheffield Wednesday defender score comical goal in Man of the Match display
Sheffield Wednesday’s Sam Reed put in a Man of the Match performance as he helped Scarborough Athletic to victory - with one very fortuitous goal.
The 21-year-old has impressed for the Seadogs since joining them on loan from the Owls, starting every game in the National League North and helping them pick up three victories in their last six matches. His Man of the Match in the 5-0 thumping of Needham Market saw him scoop the MotM award for the second time, and was also the game in which he got off the mark on the goals front - not not just with one.
Reed, a left back by trade, was started on the right wing by manager, Jonathan Greening, and he certainly managed to leave a mark as he got two goals and completed the full 90 minutes in a big home victory. It’s safe to say that one of his strikes was more orthodox than the other, though...
His first saw him bolt down the right side before getting onto the end of a Luca Colville cross to slam home and make it 2-0, however his second was more bravery than skill as he closed down a 50/50 ball and received a full weighted punt to the chest as the Needham goalkeeper tried to clear it... But instead of clearing it, his effort cannoned off Reed’s torso and into the open net behind him. You can watch all the goals above.
And there was praise for the young Wednesday defender after the game, too, with his manager, Greening, saying, “I said to the lads on the bench that if that’d happened to me I’d have been absolutely gutted given how cold it was out there! But listen, he must have some core strength, because even though he was down for a minute I think I’d have been down for 30!
“But fair play to him, the pressing was much better. We’re encouraging people to press, and not just in ones and twos - proper going all over the pitch as a time… And he got his rewards. Yeah, he got smashed in the belly, but I’m sure when he wakes up in the morning he’ll be delighted with that goal.”
The game also saw fellow Owl, Mackenzie Maltby, get another 90 minutes and a clean sheet under his belt, with the arrival of the SWFC duo coinciding with a real upturn in fortunes as the Seadogs put themselves well clear of the NLN drop zone.