Why was Matt Penney missing for Sheffield Wednesday against Bristol City?
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Having started the first two games of the season, it was a bit of a surprise to see the Owls academy graduate missing from the side to face Bristol City, and the fact that he was present at Ashton Gate suggested that he wasn’t omitted due to injury.
The 22-year-old was seen entering the stadium ahead of kickoff in the southwest, but his name wasn’t on the teamsheet as Monk made two changes to the XI that he selected for the 0-0 draw against Watford last weekend.
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Hide AdSpeaking after the game, which Wednesday lost 2-0 after goals from Tommy Rowe and Jamie Paterson, Monk explained that it was purely a selection decision that he made to bring Liam Palmer into the setup rather than use Penney.
SWFC’s boss did admit that it’s about ‘small percentages’ when he’s choosing his side, insisting that he’s confident the left-sided player won’t let his levels drop after the disappointment of being left out.
When asked about Penney’s absence from the side, Monk explained, “No (it’s not an injury), I just think it’s a case of at this moment in time we’re trying to compete and trying to perform, and we’re not in a luxury position where we have time.
“Every moment we’re on the pitch, every game that we’ve got counts. You have to deliver and you have to perform.
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Hide Ad“Matt’s doing well, and we’re talking about small percentages here, but it’s about performing consistently and reaching the levels that we need.
“It’s a step back for Matt, but he’ll come back and keep fighting like all of them.”
Wednesday now have a bit of a gap between games as Monk and his technical team turn their attentions to facing Queens Park Rangers next weekend, and they will no doubt be glad of the time that they can use to work on some of the elements of their game that let them down against the Robins on Sunday afternoon.