Sheffield Wednesday beat West Bromwich Albion 3-2 in an early Championship kick-off on Saturday.
Owls fans headed into this game no doubt expecting to see their side continue their winless streak.
After picking up a 4-0 win over Plymouth Argyle on the opening day, Sheffield Wednesday had since lost or drawn their following five Championship fixtures.
Danny Rohl made a promise to Sheffield Wednesday fans after they lost 2-1 against Luton Town last time out and more than kept it against West Bromwich Albion.
The Owls headed into the game 22nd in the Championship table, while the Baggies were sat in first place and yet to taste defeat in 2024/25.
You would not have thought that after the first 45 minutes of action, however, with Wednesday completely dominating the tie.
Barry Bannan excelled for Sheffield Wednesday versus West Brom, providing the assist for the winner and also setting up Marvin Johnson’s strike, which went down as an own goal.
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Ike Ugbo was woeful for Sheffield Wednesday vs West Brom
A lot of players came out of Saturday’s clash deserving high praise for the roles they played in ending Wednesday’s winless run.
However, one man who did very little during the clash was summer signing, Ike Ugbo.
Sheffield Wednesday signed Ugbo for £3m during the summer transfer window. It was a long transfer saga and big things were expected of the forward following his permanent return to Hillsborough.
He scored eight in 17 Championship matches while on loan in Yorkshire in the second half of last season but has really struggled to recapture that form in 2024/25.
Prior to the West Brom tie, it was already clear that Ugbo was at risk of becoming a flop for Sheffield Wednesday, and his display on Saturday only further emphasised that prediction.
Despite Wednesday dominating the first 45 and scoring twice, the striker played little part in anything positive the away outfit produced.
As per Sofascore, Ugbo managed just 12 touches, zero shots and just one unsuccessful dribble during his 71 minutes on the pitch.
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Danny Rohl must drop Ike Ugbo for next Sheffield Wednesday game
After contributing basically nothing against West Brom, it is clear Ugbo is running out of chances to impress Rohl.
Sheffield Wednesday’s next Championship fixture sees them travel away from home to take on Bristol City.
And it is now very likely that Rohl will drop Ugbo for another forward as despite the huge win on Saturday, Wednesday still need to pick up a lot more points to ensure they do not end up in a proper relegation battle and Ugbo’s current form means he must be benched.
Unfortunately for the Yorkshire outfit, they are not currently blessed with a lot of quality centre-forward options.
The most likely replacement for Ugbo against Bristol City will therefore be Michael Smith.
The 32-year-old has been in and out of the starting eleven this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist in seven appearances.
It is not an ideal situation for Rohl, with it becoming more and more clear that Sheffield Wednesday probably need to dip into the transfer market to sign another striker in January.