It has been an amazing week for Sheffield Wednesday, with two crucial away wins in the bag, and one player has excelled himself.
Danny Rohl will be delighted to see his team climbing the Championship table after defeating Hull City and Derby County this week.
Sheffield Wednesday had thus far failed to register back-to-back wins this season, but that has now been rectified, and the Owls find themselves in a comfortable midtable position right now.
Rohl described his team’s display against Derby as ‘outstanding’, and while it was a great team effort, one player has stood out more than most this week.
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James Beadle key to Sheffield Wednesday wins vs Hull and Derby
In both games, James Beadle has proven his worth and then some, with absolutely huge saves at critical moments.
Against Hull, Beadle made a big stop to deny Regan Slater and keep the game goalless at that stage. The Owls went on to win 2-0, of course, but had Slater beaten the Wednesday stopper, who knows how that game would have turned out.
Then, on Sunday against Derby, Beadle was on hand once again, this time to deny Jerry Yates as the Rams striker looked to double the home side’s advantage. Maintaining the score at 1-0, Beadle’s save was imperative to keeping Wednesday’s foot in the door, before Barry Bannan kicked it down all by himself.
Dom Howson was full of praise for Beadle on Twitter/X, citing his “crucial stops” in those games as the key to helping the young goalkeeper retain his status as the undisputed number one at Hillsborough.
There had been talk of Beadle potentially being replaced by Pierce Charles in goal for the Owls after a poor run of form. Indeed, Beadle himself even admitted he had not made a good start to the season.
However, with these two big performances under his belt, it would seem the young loanee is now right back to his best, and ready to truly show what he is capable of this season.
- READ MORE: Five things Danny Rohl can learn from Sheffield Wednesday win vs Derby, one issue nearly cost them
Statistics don’t tell the full story for James Beadle
Data has shown that Beadle has prevented less goals than any of his peers in the Championship this season, which naturally had Owls fans worried.
At one stage this season, Beadle was also underperforming when it came to the xGA (expected goals against) he was registering.
| Statistics | James Beadle 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 18 |
| Goals conceded | 27 |
| Save % | 60.7 |
| Saves per 90 | 1.89 |
| Post-shot xG | 23.4 |
| Pass success % | 69.5 |
But, in the last few games, and indeed, over the course of his short Sheffield Wednesday career, Beadle has come up with massive moments that have been invaluable, but are so hard to pin down to particular statistics.
That’s why it’s so useful to first of all judge players on their performances rather than the numbers behind them. It’s also important to be patient with players in a tough patch, as you never know when they will step up and deliver the winning moment your team needs.