Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper David Stockdale has admitted that he is determined to fight for a place in the club's starting eleven over the course of the coming months.

After sealing a move to Hillsborough last year, Stockdale initially started the season as the Owls' first-choice shot-stopper.

The 37-year-old made 21 consecutive appearances in League One before being replaced in the side by Cameron Dawson for the club's clash with Oxford United in December.

Since claiming a clean-sheet in this particular fixture, Dawson has kept his place in the starting eleven.

Having featured in Wednesday's last eight games in all competitions, Dawson is expected to be given the nod to play against Plymouth Argyle this weekend by Darren Moore.

A win for the Owls on Saturday will result in them moving above Plymouth in the league standings on goal difference.

Wednesday suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Argyle at Home Park earlier this season as Sam Cosgrove scored the winning goal for Steven Schumacher's side in the closing stages of this game.

Speaking to BBC Sheffield (as cited by The Star) about his current situation at the club, Stockdale said: "It’s a good job I like Cam, isn’t it!

"It never gets easier and the day I accept it is the day I shouldn’t be playing. "I told Cam ‘I’m going to be hot on your heels’, but I did an interview [when he signed for the club], you can probably look back on it. "I said whoever was playing, I’d be supportive.
"At the end of the day there’s one thing we all want to do and that’s win promotion."

 

 

The Verdict When you consider that Dawson has managed to prevent Wednesday's opponents from scoring in five of their last six league games, he unquestionably deserves to retain his place in the side for the foreseeable future. Stockdale will need to maintain his focus while being forced to watch on from the substitutes bench as he could return to action if Dawson suffers an injury setback or picks up a suspension. The former Wycombe Wanderers keeper will be confident in his ability to deliver the goods when he is called upon again by Moore as he has made 87 appearances at this level during his career and thus knows what it takes to succeed. By offering his support and guidance to Dawson, Stockdale could potentially help his team-mate make considerable strides in terms of his development over the course of the coming months.