Sheffield Wednesday made it two wins from two in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy with a 2-0 victory over Sunderland’s under-21 side on Tuesday night.
Goals from former Liverpool star Emile Heskey’s son Jaden and Barry Bannan, one in each half, secured the win in front of 5,423 spectators at Hillsborough and confirmed the Owls’ place in the next round.
Heskey’s first senior goal was the highlight, while several players also gained valuable minutes. Owls boss Henrik Pedersen rotated his squad throughout, making four substitutions at half-time.
Denny Oliver made his senior debut, while Sean Fusire impressed on his return to first-team action after recovering from injury.
Meanwhile, Sheffield Wednesday have added a coaching figure with experience at some of Europe’s biggest clubs on a consultancy basis.
The Owls remain in the early stages of a major rebuild, with changes being made across various areas of the club following the takeover by US consortium Arise Capital Partners in May.
According to The Star, former Liverpool set-piece coach Aaron Briggs has been brought in as a consultant. The 39-year-old has previously worked with Manchester City, Liverpool, FIFA and UEFA, as well as AS Monaco and Wolfsburg.
Briggs began his career at Blackpool before joining Manchester City, later moving into coaching roles in Europe. He worked as an assistant manager under Niko Kovac at Monaco and Wolfsburg, while also serving as head of methodology at Monaco.
He joined Liverpool in July 2024 as an individual development coach before becoming the club’s set-piece coach under Arne Slot. Briggs contributed to Liverpool’s Premier League title success in the 2024/25 season before leaving the club in December.
He has since worked for UEFA in its game insights department. Briggs is believed to have already spent time at Middlewood Road as part of the arrangement.
He has been brought in as a consultant to advise on game models and coaching frameworks across all levels, from the under-nine age group to the first team.
Sheffield Wednesday are looking to accelerate the development of their wider football strategy, with processes having been found wanting under the previous regime. The club appear determined to improve their coaching and football programmes behind the scenes.
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