The Wednesday boss raised some eyebrows on Saturday afternoon when – for the first time this season – James Beadle dropped to the bench in a Championship game in favour of the young academy stopper, but he acquitted himself well at Cardiff City and made some good saves en route to a 1-1 draw in Wales.
It was the third 90 minutes in quick succession for the 19-year-old after playing for Nothern Ireland against both Switzerland and Sweden, and the teenager has been roundly praised for the way that he performed at Cardiff City Stadium. His manager has also hinted that it won’t be the last time fans see him start in Owls colours this season.
Sheffield Wednesday have two number ones now
“We have two young, good goalkeepers,” he told Radio Sheffield. “We have James Beadle who deserves a lot of credit since he arrived last year in the relegation fight, he helped us to get a lot of points. On the other side we have our own goalkeeper with Pierce, who has worked very hard. He is now the number one for his national team and has improved a lot – he deserved it as well.
“In every other position we have competition, it’s normal, and we have two number ones now. They’ll fight every week for who is in goal and who is not, and I think with this mindset I want to see them. They’ll challenge each other, and we’ll see how ready Pierce is.”
Röhl is now faced with a decision to stick or twist next weekend when Hull City visit Hillsborough, and Charles will no doubt be hoping that he’s done enough to earn a first league outing at Hillsborough come Saturday afternoon.
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