Jamal Lowe enjoyed a dream debut as Sheffield Wednesday returned to Championship action with a comfortable win.
The striker kicked off his campaign up front, with Ike Ugbo yet to reach full fitness following his permanent arrival this week.
Lowe opened the scoring for Sheffield Wednesday on the half hour mark and went onto nod the ball down for the Plymouth Argyle defender to head the ball into his own net.
The Jamaican will be one of a number of players receiving high praise following their 4-0 win on the opening weekend, but fans will be delighted that Ugbo’s absence wasn’t a problem.
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Rohl urged to play Lowe as a striker this season
Lowe is expected to be pushed out wide once the Canadian is available, however former striker Jamie Mackie has urged Danny Rohl to play him in the No.9 role to get the very best out of him.
Speaking on Sky Sports (4:54pm), Mackie said: “It’s a dream start on your home debut to get a goal. That’s where you want your centre-forward. That’s where Jamal Lowe, if he wants to get up to the twenties this season, that’s where you’re going to get the goals.
“In the past when I have seen Jamal, he has been asked to play in different positions, drift outside the box. He is not going to get the numbers that the team need you to do. You have got to stay in the middle of the six-yard box, and he got rewards for that.”
Will Lowe be pushed out wide once Ike Ugbo returns?
Lowe was relatively quiet in the opening half an hour and there was a slight concern that perhaps Wednesday would rue their missed chances without Ugbo leading the line.
However, he certainly proved himself and was a real threat in the box – as well as outside of it.
The 30-year-old has played over 120 appearances on the right wing and has 45 goal contributions from there, while he has picked up 19 from 79 games as a centre-forward.
Lowe proved that he can be a really useful stand-in for Ugbo if the striker is absent, but it would be a huge surprise if he doesn’t rotate with Djeidi Gassama on the right.
Gassama impressed against Plymouth, but whether he did enough to keep his place over Lowe is another question.
Even if Lowe doesn’t keep his place as a striker, it is really beneficial to see that Rohl can rely on players other than Ugbo to get the goals.