3 things we learnt about Sheffield Wednesday following their 2-0 win over Port Vale | OneFootball

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Football League World

·30 December 2022

3 things we learnt about Sheffield Wednesday following their 2-0 win over Port Vale

Article image:3 things we learnt about Sheffield Wednesday following their 2-0 win over Port Vale

Sheffield Wednesday secured their second consecutive victory with a 2-0 win over Port Vale at Hillsborough on Thursday night.

The Owls were dealt a major injury blow early in the first half when influential captain Barry Bannan was forced off through injury, but responded well and took the lead through Michael Smith’s penalty in the 30th minute, awarded after Tom Conlon handled the ball inside the area.


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Wednesday did not have it all their own way as Vale did have their opportunities, most notably when Ellis Harrison missed the chance to equalise shortly after his side fell behind, before firing over from close range in the second half.

But Darren Moore’s side sealed the win in the 70th minute with an outstanding curling strike from distance from Smith to complete his double, with the hosts comfortably seeing the game out thereafter.

The result extends the Owls’ unbeaten run to 12 league games ahead of the home clash with struggling Cambridge United on Monday.

Wednesday remain third in the table, but they are now level with second-placed Ipswich Town after the Tractor Boys were held at Portsmouth, while they are still four points behind leaders Plymouth Argyle.

Here are three things we learnt about Wednesday after their latest maximum.

One of the valid criticisms of Wednesday has been that they are too dependent on Bannan.

This was most recently on display when he missed the home game against Oxford earlier this month, with the Owls toiling to a 0-0 draw in which they failed to create any meaningful chances.

While it is fair to say that the attacking struggles were present prior to that game even with the Scotsman on the pitch, the accusation was made that Moore’s side cannot cope without their talisman.

But against Vale, Wednesday showed they had players more than capable of stepping up, with Will Vaulks in particular putting in an impressive shift in midfield after replacing Bannan.

The return of George Byers will also mitigate any potential lay-off for Bannan, with the two consecutive wins since the 26-year-old’s return to the starting line-up underlining his importance.

Quiz: Have any of these 25 ex-Sheffield Wednesday players ever played for a London based team?

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Article image:3 things we learnt about Sheffield Wednesday following their 2-0 win over Port Vale

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Defensive resilience

The clean sheet against Vale was Wednesday’s 13th of the season, more than any other team in the division, while they have only conceded 18 goals this campaign, with only Derby County being breached less.

They limited a Vale side sitting ninth in the table and who have caused problems for many of the promotion contenders this season to few chances on their way to what was a relatively routine victory.

It was another solid display from the likes of Liam Palmer and Mark McGuinness, while Reece James was the stand-out at the back, with the on-loan Blackpool man also providing the assist for Smith’s second goal.

The recent change in goal has also had a positive effect, with Cameron Dawson proving himself to be more than reliable since replacing David Stockdale between the sticks.

Their impressive defensive record provides Wednesday with an excellent platform to build on and proving hard to beat has been particularly essential as they try to rediscover their attacking threat.

It is difficult not to feel that despite their unbeaten run and lofty league position, there is still plenty more to come from Wednesday.

While it was a much-improved performance against Vale, Wednesday were still not at their attacking best and perhaps could have been a little more clinical with their finishing.

But with the quality at their disposal, the Owls should get even better as the season progress, particularly now key players like Byers are returning to full fitness.

Moore will also likely want to add reinforcements in January, particularly in forward areas, which will strengthen his side further ahead of what looks set to be an exciting second half of the season.

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