That was obviously a very underwhelming performance today. Wednesday didn't play brilliantly, in my opinion, and they were not unbeatable by any stretch of the imagination. Yet the extent of our poor form away from home means that we usually seem to find ways of being inferior to the opposition, even if they are having an off day themselves. Ultimately though, Wednesday just seemed to play with more urgency, and at least tried to keep the ball on the floor, whereas some of our players seemed lethargic and lacking in motivation, commitment and effort at times. Not to mention the fact that our play was characterised by hopeful long balls, which very rarely led to anything that could challenge the Owls' backline.
Other than the goalmouth scramble early on in the game, I don't recall our creating anything from open play in the entire match. Wednesday didn't create a lot of opportunities themselves, and the majority of the game was played in the middle of the park. Ultimately, though, they just had that little bit more than us today, both in terms of drive and ability, and particularly in a league where there is so little to separate those at the top from those at the bottom, one extra moment of quality, or simply just wanting it more, can determine the outcome of a whole match. Even when we had the upper hand, we just couldn't seem to find a way of translating this momentum into something tangible, whereas the Owls capitalised firmly on their purple patch just after half time, through getting on the scoresheet. Once they'd scored that first goal it was just a case of closing out the game, and I think it's fair to say that we did very little in the second half to threaten their attainment of this objective. We gave them nothing to worry about in the latter stages of the game.
In my opinion, it has come to the point now where Cook should drop Massey for his own good. I really like him as a player, and I honestly think that he could be a highly valuable asset for us in the Championship in the long term. It just it seems to me as though he is very much a confidence player, and at the moment he just seems to have lost that self belief, which, I believe, was such an integral cause for his relatively good form last year. It just seemed that, today, nearly every attack we did manage to create petered out when he had possession of the ball, and he almost seemed to be trying too hard to make something happen. His performances against Barnsley and Sheffield Wednesday this season have been reminiscent of the 2017-18 Massey, and we all know that he is capable of so much more than what he is currently producing. I would consequently start Pilkington in the next game, if he is match fit, and I'd give Massey the little run out of the side that I think he needs in order to improve and come back stronger.
Just on a side note, I think questions also have to be asked of Jamal Lowe and whether he was worth the 3m that we paid for him. He has shown glimpses of promise, but nothing substantial as of yet, and I think that we are now far enough into the season where you'd expect a little bit more from him than what he showed in the match today. He does seem to go missing at times, and I'd personally just like to see him more involved in the play, as he does look threatening when he gets the opportunity to run at defenders, and utilise his pace. I also thought that Robinson had a poor game, and was at least partially responsible for their goal (although I don't want to be too critical of him as he has been one of the better players so far this season). Windass, Garner and Moore were generally absent, despite the former starting brightly; but given that this was the case for all three of them, it does make you think that perhaps it is Cook and a lack of service, rather than the players, who are the problem.
Anyway, just thought I'd end on a few positives that I think we can take from today:
1) Byrne's noticeable victory over Kadeem Harris:
I thought Byrne had a brilliant game today, and he was our 'Man of the Match', in my opinion. He did a brilliant job of mitigating the impressive Kadeem Harris's influence on the wing, made several decisive and confident challenges, and managed to snuff out the majority of the Wednesday winger's attempts to put the ball in the box. My view as to the main reason why he had so much success, is because he was up against someone of a similar size to his own, and so he felt more confident in winning the physical battles that he faced throughout the match. I think Byrne becomes uncomfortable when he comes up against someone significantly taller than himself, so this maybe something for Cook to look out for and consider.
2) The blossoming Mulgrew/Dunkley partnership:
As has been mentioned on here, our two centre backs looked composed and calm in today's game, as they did against Birmingham in midweek. I think it's important to acknowledge the fact that we have conceded just 3 goals in our last 4 games, and so despite the fact that we are facing ongoing problems in terms of goalscoring, I think we may have at least found an answer to the frequently asked question of who our centre back pairing should consist of. Of course, this outlook could change completely in the coming weeks, depending on whether Dunkley and Mulgrew can sustain their current form, but for the moment I think we can look upon their performances as a positive.
3) The support:
Just thought I'd end with a brief note for the support today. It was great to see a fair amount of people turn up and get behind the side, despite the fact that we are frankly terrible away from home at the moment. It's all right for me, just coming down to the ground from about 10 minutes away, but kudos to all of you on here who made the trip down to Hillsborough yesterday. I hope you enjoyed what you saw of Sheffield and that the people here were very welcoming to you (also TS, I hope you enjoyed your meal!!).
