Sheffield Wednesday’s last performance has given Danny Rohl plenty of food for thought ahead of the next Championship outing against Watford on Saturday.
Sheffield Wednesday head to Brentford in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night, before returning to league duties with a game against Watford at Hillsborough on Saturday.
For Brentford, Rohl looks set to make several changes, with a strong finish in the league surely taking priority over a run in this season’s Carabao Cup.
Last time out, Sheffield Wednesday beat Portsmouth 2-1 courtesy of a thumping effort from Michael Smith in the second half.
The striker now has six goals contributions in his last 13 outings for the Owls, despite having been heavily linked with Wrexham during the summer transfer window.
Out of contract at the end of this season, Smith is now giving Rohl a bit of a headache upfront, with plenty of options, but very few in firing form.
Adam Oxley wants to see Michael Smith have a run in the Sheffield Wednesday XI
Sheffield Wednesday’s marquee summer signing Ike Ugbo is yet to get off the mark in the Championship this season, following his £2.5million move from Troyes in the summer.
Ugbo has received criticism from Sheffield Wednesday fans and he’s been axed from the starting XI for the last two games.
Jamal Lowe started against Swansea City before Smith came in for the Pompey game, going on to score and assist as he was named Man of the Match for Sheffield Wednesday on the night.
Speaking on Football Heaven, BBC pundit Adam Oxley now wants to see Smith get a run in the Sheffield Wednesday XI.
He said: “I think it’s Michael Smith’s shirt now. He’s only started twice [this season], one was Luton when I was there, I thought he lead the line brilliantly… and then on Friday night, he comes up with that absolute pearler.
“Nobody else is sticking their hand up for Wednesday, surely Michael Smith has done that and deserves a bit of a run in the team now.
“Whether he plays in the cup tomorrow is a different matter. But certainly in the league, I think Michael Smith is worth a run at the minute.
“And to say that it’s only just over a week since he was described as ‘gutless’ on Praise or Grumble, I don’t think there was very much gutless about the performance on Friday night.”
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Danny Rohl still sticking by Ike Ugbo
In Ugbo, Smith, Lowe, and Josh Windass, Rohl has four good strikers, and four strikers who’ll all want to be claiming a spot every week.
Going into this season, Rohl might have viewed Smith as his fourth-choice. But now, with Windass playing behind the no.9 and neither Lowe nor Ugbo looking prolific, it seems like Smith’s shirt to lose, as Oxley says.
Despite Ugbo’s tough form in front of goal this season, Rohl has spoken positively about Ugbo at Sheffield Wednesday.
He said of the Canadian earlier in October: “We know the moment will come and he will score. You know as a striker it is always hard when you don’t score and today he had a big chance – but this is football.
“I think this is our job, we stay together. We win together, we lose together and we improve together. We will come through and the momentum will come back of course.
“I think what we can do is create more and more chances.”
Sheffield Wednesday against Brentford kicks off at 8pm on Tuesday night, with the game being shown live on Sky Sports.