Danny Rohl must continue with Sheffield Wednesday experiment using academy graduate: View | OneFootball

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It has been an incredibly disappointing start to life back in the Championship for Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls were promoted from League One after beating Barnsley in the play-off final at Wembley in May, but they are in danger of making an immediate return to the third tier.

Wednesday have spent much of the season in the relegation zone, but they did pick up an excellent point in the 1-1 draw with leaders Leicester City at Hillsborough on Wednesday night, ending a run of three consecutive defeats.

Abdul Fatawu gave the Foxes the lead in the 23rd minute, but the Owls grew into the game, and substitute Ashley Fletcher missed a golden chance to level in the second half when he fired straight at Mads Hermansen.

It had looked like Wednesday were heading for another defeat, but Jeff Hendrick equalised in the third minute of stoppage time to secure a share of the spoils.

Danny Rohl's side remain bottom of the table, and after Huddersfield Town's 2-1 win at Sunderland, they are now 12 points adrift of safety ahead of Saturday's game at home to seventh-placed Blackburn Rovers.

Striker Bailey Cadamarteri made his league debut for the club as a substitute against Millwall last month, and the 18-year-old was handed his first start against Leicester.

Cadamarteri impressed against the Foxes, and he earned the praise of Rohl after the game, with the German describing him as "the future for our club".

"I believe in this guy," Rohl told The Star. "He is the future for our club and it’s so important to see his improvements in the last weeks. I spoke when I arrived here how I want to take the next step with the young players, this is important.

"He runs a lot, he has speed, he is the right type for pressing. It’s great to see him and for everybody in the stadium it is a good sign that we have a good academy that can bring players out. I am the manager to give them the chance and he took the chance."

Danny Rohl must continue Bailey Cadamarteri experiment

It was a huge show of faith from Rohl to start Cadamarteri against Leicester, and the 34-year-old must now give him a run in the team.

The Owls have scored just eight league goals this season, and Michael Smith is the club's top scorer with three.

Lee Gregory has found the back of the net this season, but he has fallen out of favour since Rohl's arrival, while Josh Windass, Callum Paterson and Ashley Fletcher are all yet to get off the mark.

Cadamarteri was a prolific scorer in the Owls' academy, and Wednesday supporters had long been calling for him to be given an opportunity given their goalscoring problems.

With Rohl seemingly favouring younger, pacier players who are capable of pressing, Cadamarteri is the perfect fit for his style, but as he proved against Leicester, he has the physicality needed in the Championship, competing well against experienced defenders such as Conor Coady, Jannik Vestergaard, and Wout Faes.

Of course, the Owls cannot rely solely on Cadamarteri to provide the goals to keep them in the division, and it is essential that Rohl is allowed to strengthen his forward line in January.

But Cadamarteri is an excellent talent and Rohl must stick with him over the coming weeks and give him the time to adapt to senior football.

The teenager's potential is underlined by the fact he was previously linked with Manchester City and West Ham United prior to signing his first professional contract last summer, and after making his breakthrough into the first team, the Owls must look to tie him down to a new deal.