Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Cameron Dawson has admitted that he found life tough at Hillsborough last term, but he also insisted he is not yet thinking about his long-term future with the Owls.
Dawson was allowed to leave Sheffield Wednesday on a season-long loan deal to Exeter City in the summer, with the keeper having fallen down the pecking order at Hillsborough under Darren Moore.
That came following the arrival of Northern Ireland number one Bailey Peacock-Farrell from Burnley on a loan deal for the campaign. While Joe Wildsmith is also ahead of Dawson in the pecking order and is the current number two behind Peacock-Farrell.
So far this season, Dawson has been able to get off to a strong start to his loan spell with Exter.
The 26-year-old has started all six of their games in League Two and kept three clean sheets whilst also averaging 3.7 saves per game.
Considering that Dawson is still contracted at Sheffield Wednesday until the summer of 2024, there should be plenty of time for him to potentially force his way back into the long-term plans of Moore in the coming years.
However, speaking to Devon Live, Dawson admitted that he found not being involved in games difficult last season with Sheffield Wednesday.
He also added though that he is not focusing on his long-term future with the club at this point and is instead focusing on his form with Exeter.
He said: “Last year was tough but I'm happy to be down here playing games and contributing to Exeter, but it’s too early to tell. I am not a big fan of long term goal setting as if you don’t look after the here and now, there is no point worrying about the long term. I am enjoying it so far and the group and lads and staff have been excellent, so I am taking it game-by-game and enjoying it so far.”
The verdict
Dawson is going to face a major decision regarding his long-term career next summer.
However, if he has any chance of still being a key player for Sheffield Wednesday moving forwards, he must first ensure that he continues his development on loan with Exeter this term.
The 26-year-old is saying the right things here and it is best for him to focus on what he can control for now and that is on the field for Exeter.
Should the keeper carry on his current form then it will at least provide Moore with something to think about when he returns from his loan spell.
A lot will obviously depend on whether Sheffield Wednesday are able to sign Peacock-Farrell on a permanent deal next summer from Burnley.
That might prove to be very difficult given the form that the Northern Ireland international has been such an impressive performer so far this term for club and country.
The admission from Dawson regarding last term’s lack of involvement suggests that he would not ideally want to go back to being out of the side at Sheffield Wednesday next term.
However, that will be an issue for the Owls to worry about in another year’s time.