Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping to make it two wins out of two when they face Sunderland’s Under-21s in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy on Tuesday night.
Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping to progress to the knockout stages of the Jersey Mike’s Trophy when they welcome Sunderland’s Under-21s to Hillsborough this evening.
The Owls made a winning start to their Jersey Mike’s Trophy campaign last time out, coming from behind to beat Salford City 2-1 at the AIG Stadium. They got the job done via second half goals from Davis Keillor-Dunn and Jamal Lowe.
Sign up to our Sheffield Wednesday newsletter
Having won their opening game, Wednesday know another victory this evening will keep them top of Group A with one game left to play. Six points will be enough to guarantee a top-two finish and a place in the next round.
The Owls have had two weeks to prepare for the visit of the Black Cats youngsters, meaning Henrik Pedersen’s side should be feeling fresh ahead of the restart.
Ahead of the clash with Matt Craddock’s side, here are five pre-match talking points:
Weekend clues
Although Pedersen rotated his team for the recent victory at Salford, he was still able to field a relatively strong side featuring the likes of Di’Shon Bernard, who made his comeback from injury, Reece James, Jaden Heskey, Mason Burstow and Keillor-Dunn.
It is likely that the Owls boss will pick from the same group of players again this evening, although he will be within his rights to have half an eye on Saturday’s Yorkshire derby with Huddersfield Town.
Henrik Pedersen will be hoping to oversee a morale-boosting victory.placeholder image
Henrik Pedersen will be hoping to oversee a morale-boosting victory. | Steve Ellis.
Bernard is likely to be handed another opportunity to get more minutes under his belt as he continues to work his way towards full fitness, while youngster Joel Akpobi, who impressed against Salford, is also in the frame to make his home debut.
Whatever starting XI Pedersen settles on, it is likely to offer its fair share of clues about his plans for the trip to Huddersfield, which is arguably the more important fixture.
Another opportunity knocks
After making his presence felt on his Wednesday debut against Salford, winger Akpobi deserves to make his home debut this evening. The teenager, who signed his first professional contract at Hillsborough last month, was Wednesday’s best player against the Ammies, regularly looking to make things happen.
He was rewarded for his efforts shortly after half-time, sending over a cross that was headed home by Keillor-Dunn, meaning he marked his Wednesday bow with an assist. The Jersey Mike’s Trophy offers the ideal environment for Pedersen to blood youngsters into the first-team fold, meaning the visit of Sunderland’s U21s represents an ideal opportunity for Akpobi to play alongside more senior figures.
With Louie Barry sidelined and Wednesday still searching for a formula on their left flank, Akpobi will be hoping to make his mark if he is indeed handed another chance to prove his worth.
Get some goals
The 7-2 win over Bromley aside, Wednesday have struggled to score goals at Hillsborough so far this season, scoring just once across their other five home games in all competitions.
After playing out a second successive 0-0 draw on home soil last month, some Wednesdayites booed the team off, demanding more in an attacking sense. Wednesday have fired blanks against Bradford City (0-1), Wigan Athletic (0-0), Stockport County (0-0) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (0-2) in S6 so far this term.
With respect, Wednesday should be getting the better of Sunderland’s youngsters, who shipped three goals in a 3-3 draw with Accrington Stanley last month. It represents an opportunity for them to flex their muscles in the final third and show some cutting edge.
Davis Keillor-Dunn (right) was on the scoresheet against Salford City.placeholder image
Davis Keillor-Dunn (right) was on the scoresheet against Salford City. | Steve Ellis
Regardless of the opposition, a convincing victory would provide a welcome boost to confidence levels ahead of the trip to Huddersfield.
Maintain the unbeaten run
Although Wednesday have faced some criticism in recent weeks for their performances, they are unbeaten in their last six matches across all competitions. They have lost just two of their first ten matches in league and cup this season, meaning their results have been encouraging for what is a new-look team.
The Jersey Mike’s Trophy, certainly at this stage of the season, is not a leading priority for Wednesday in this campaign. However, winning can breed confidence, and Pedersen vowed to take the competition seriously ahead of the victory at Salford.
With a victory guaranteeing qualification for the next round with a group game to spare, Wednesday should be determined to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches. They last enjoyed a seven-game unbeaten run in March 2023.
A reminder of what could have been
It was only just over four years ago that Wednesday and Sunderland were fighting it out for a place in the League One play-off final. Sunderland, of course, edged past the Owls at the semi-final stage, winning 2-1 on aggregate, and have since celebrated promotion to the Premier League and a return to the European stage for the first time since 1974.
Wednesday, on the other hand, have experienced off-field chaos, administration and the earliest relegation in the history of English football. Having lived through those nightmare experiences, being in League One for a fourth time after dropping out of the Premier League 26 years ago is a scenario most Wednesdayites can live with if it means they are able to make progress in the coming years under Arise Capital Partners.
As they prepare to host Sunderland’s youngsters, it will be impossible to shake off the feeling of what might have been had Wednesday got the better of Sunderland in May 2022. Would either club have gone on the journeys they have since? We will never truly know.