Sheffield Wednesday lost 2-0 to Leeds United on Friday night, in what feels like a very disheartening defeat for the Owls.
Danny Rohl‘s Sheffield Wednesday side won their previous five games before the visit of Leeds United on Friday.
And those wins gave the Owls some improved expectations for the Leeds game; perhaps over-expectations, given what is now a very deject mood among fans and in Rohl after the game.
But it’s easy to forget the gulf in investment between the two sides.
There was still plenty of positives to take from the game; Sheffield Wednesday had one or two chances to get in the game, and if Djeidi Gassama had given the Owls the lead in the first half then it would’ve been a different game..
Another positive was the second half cameo from Michael Smith.
Michael Smith working his way into contention at Sheffield Wednesday
It’s been an odd season for Smith.
After scoring 18 and assisting seven more in League One last season, the 32-year-old may not have thought that he’d be so far down the pecking order this time round, especially after the Owls failed to sign a new striker last summer.
But Bailey Cadamarteri would take his place in the XI and then Ike Ugbo would arrive to further push Smith down the pecking order.
The former Rotherham United man though is starting to feature more regularly under Rohl, having now had a couple of impressive cameos in recent weeks.
Against Leeds, Smith came on for the final half hour and immediately put himself about, winning 3 out of 6 duels, completing 5 out of 6 passes (83% completion), also making 1 clearance and 1 tackle, as per Sofascore.
The Star gave Smith a 6/10 rating on Friday night, with Joe Crann adding:
“Put in a good shift after coming on, and came very close to getting them back into it – unfortunately his goalward effort was cleared off the line.”
Danny Rohl could utilise Smith in final run-in
In Cadamarteri, Ugbo, and Smith, Rohl arguably has three very different strikers with different uses.
It seems as though Rohl is still figuring out what way to best utilise Cadamarteri, but Ugbo is certainly a poacher, and Smith more of a target man.
So in the final run-in which is bound to become dogged and scruffy at times, a target man like Smith who can unsettle defenders and win those aerial and ground duels could become very useful.
And it’s easy to forget that he knows where the back of the net is; he showed that last season, being a striker who can score from anywhere inside the box, whereas Ugbo is more is a player who needs the ball to drop to him closer to goal.
Question marks may remain over whether or not Smith is a starting striker in this current set up under Rohl; Ugbo leads the line with his pace and with Pol Valentin and Marvin Johnson supplying him on the wings, there’s no need to change things up just yet.
But in certain games; maybe against teams like Middlesbrough, Stoke City, and Blackburn before the end of the season where the match will be very physical against some likewise defenders, Smith could be a better option for Rohl.
And if he keeps impressing coming off the bench then he’ll surely come into starting contention soon, with the idea of playing Smith alongside Ugbo not beyond the realms of possibility either.
The Owls return to action vs Ipswich Town next weekend.