Sheffield Wednesday
3 things we clearly learnt about Sheffield Wednesday after their 1-0 defeat to Wycombe
Sheffield Wednesday’s League One play-off hopes were dealt a blow on Saturday afternoon, as they were beaten 1-0 by Wycombe at Adams Park.
After a goalless first-half, it was the hosts who took the lead just past the hour-mark, when Jordan Obita fired home from Daryl Horgan’s pull-back.
That was enough to secure all three points for the Chairboys, giving their own hopes of claiming a top six spot in the final third-tier standings a welcome boost.
That will also have left Wednesday boss Darren Moore with plenty to think about, as we head into the final week of the regular League One season.
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So with that in mind, we’ve taken a look at three things we learned about Sheffield Wednesday from their defeat to Wycombe, right here.
They must be more clinical in front of goal
Despite their impressive form throughout much of the season so far, Lee Gregory remains the only Sheffield Wednesday to have scored more than ten league goals this season.
That lack of attacking firepower was arguably on show again on Saturday, with just 15 of the shots taken by the Owls registered as on target, in contrast with Wycombe’s three on target, which came from just six shots.
As a result, it seems that if Wednesday are to win games such as these in the play-offs – should they get there – they are going to have to be more efficient than they were here, to actually stand a chance of securing promotion back to the Championship.
Squad rotation could be under scrutiny
Darren Moore has often rotated his Wednesday starting XI this season, in a bid to keep players fresh and available, and that was again the case on Saturday.
Centre back Liam Palmer and midfielder George Byers both dropped to the bench at Adams Park, with both ending the day as unused substitutes, which Moore confirmed was to give the duo a rest and keep them fresh.
But given the fact that both could have made an important impact for the Owls in such an important game against a play-off rival on Saturday, and that they lost out in their absence, you wonder whether that is an approach Moore will continue to take going forward.
Tuesday’s game in hand becomes vital
One positive that Wednesday can take from their defeat on Saturday, is the fact that they are still in control of their own fate in terms of the race for a League One play-off place.
That is thanks to a game in hand they have on Tuesday away at Fleetwood that, if they win, will ensure they go into the final game of the regular season occupying a top six spot.
But with Fleetwood still battling at the wrong end of the table to avoid relegation, that is unlikely to be an easy task for the Owls, meaning the pressure is now going to be very much on Moore and his side, to take advantage of the strong position they had got themselves into prior to Saturday’s game.
