Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to continue their play-off push when they take on West Bromwich Albion in the Championship at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Wednesday have made significant progress under manager Danny Rohl this season, and they have emerged as surprise play-off contenders.
Victories have dried up a little for the Owls in recent weeks, but they did extend their unbeaten run to three games with a 1-1 draw against Luton Town at Hillsborough on Saturday, with Michael Smith’s second half penalty rescuing a point after Alfie Doughty’s stunning strike had given the visitors the lead in the 31st minute.
It was a frustrating afternoon for Wednesday as they struggled to break down a stubborn Hatters defence, but other results went in their favour, and they currently sit 10th in the table, just two points from the play-off places.
| Championship table (as it stands 6th February) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 9 | Bristol City | 30 | 3 | 42 |
| 10 | Sheffield Wednesday | 30 | -3 | 42 |
| 11 | Coventry City | 31 | 1 | 41 |
| 12 | Watford | 30 | -2 | 41 |
| 13 | QPR | 31 | -5 | 41 |
| 14 | Millwall | 30 | 3 | 40 |
| 15 | Preston North End | 30 | -5 | 37 |
| 16 | Oxford United | 31 | -11 | 37 |
Saturday’s game against West Brom represents an excellent opportunity for the Owls to move into the top six, but it will be a tough test against Tony Mowbray’s side, particularly after their strong end to the January transfer window.
West Brom clash is a big test of Sheffield Wednesday’s promotion credentials
West Brom enjoyed an outstanding start to the season as they picked up 16 points from their first six games, but they have failed to hit the same heights since suffering their first defeat of the campaign as they were beaten 3-2 by Wednesday at Hillsborough in September.
Albion have won just five of their last 24 games, but 13 draws in that time have kept them in play-off contention, and Mowbray has not had the start to his second spell at The Hawthorns that he would have hoped for.
Mowbray has lost two of his first three games since replacing Carlos Corberan last month, including a humiliating 2-1 defeat at bottom side Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, but they will be coming into this weekend’s game in positive mood after a busy end to the transfer window.
The Baggies completed the signings of exciting young strikers Will Lankshear and Tammer Bany, and in one of the most eye-catching deals of the window, they also secured a late loan deal for Southampton striker Adam Armstrong, who scored 24 goals in 52 games in the Championship last season.
It seems likely that Armstrong will go straight into Albion’s starting line-up on Saturday, adding to an already dangerous attack that put five goals past Portsmouth in their last home game, and the Owls will have to be at their best if they are to come away with a result.
After an underwhelming performance against Luton last time out, Rohl may decide to make changes for the trip to The Hawthorns, and one of his biggest selection dilemmas involves star forward Josh Windass.
Danny Rohl should make bold Josh Windass, Stuart Armstrong call against West Brom
Windass’ has been one of Wednesday’s key players this season, and he is currently their top scorer having netted 10 goals in 31 games, while he has also provided five assists.
However, since scoring a wondergoal from inside his own half against Derby County on New Year’s Day, Windass has failed to find the back of the net in his last five appearances, and his place in the team has come under threat after the arrival of Stuart Armstrong from Vancouver Whitecaps.
Windass started in his regular number 10 role against Luton on Saturday before being shifted out to the right after Armstrong’s introduction at the break, and although he had the Owls’ best chance of the second half when he blazed over from just a few yards out, he struggled to impact the game from his wide position.
It was a positive start for Armstrong in a Wednesday shirt, with the Scotland international seamlessly slotting into the team and showing his quality on the ball, and Rohl will surely be tempted to hand him a start against West Brom this weekend.
While he is naturally an offensive midfielder, Armstrong is equally capable of playing in a more defensive role, and bringing the 32-year-old into the starting line-up would give the Owls extra stability in the middle of the park and help them to contain Albion’s attacking threat.
Callum Paterson remains at Hillsborough despite a lack of game time this season.
If Armstrong does start in the number 10 role, Rohl could give Windass another chance to impress out wide, but it is not a position the 31-year-old looks entirely comfortable with, and including pace down the flanks could give Wednesday a better chance of getting a result.
Anthony Musaba has missed the last two games with injury, but he has scored in each of his previous two appearances against West Brom, and if fit, the Dutchman could replace Callum Paterson on the right.
If Musaba is unavailable, Rohl should consider moving Djeidi Gassama over to the right as he could cause plenty of problems for Albion left-back Callum Styles, who is typically a midfielder, and that would allow him to give a debut to new signing Ibrahim Cissoko on the left after his loan move from Toulouse.
Rohl is known to be a big admirer of Windass, and dropping the former Rangers man would be a controversial call, but after a slight decline in form that has come amid reports of interest from Brazilian side Santos, a brief spell out of the team could be exactly what he needs to allow him to recharge and get back to his best.
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