When Di’Shon Bernard saw red for Sheffield Wednesday just minutes before the half-time interval against Stoke on Saturday it left Danny Röhl with a decision to make, writes Finlay Tait.
The break provided opportunity for Wednesday to switch to a fresh strategy, which they did, with debutant Gabriel Otegbayo making only his second off-the-bench appearance in lieu of forward Michael Smith. The reshuffle and changes in strategy were effective, as goals from Josh Windass and Callum Paterson secured the club’s first home win in five years.
Röhl told The Star after the game: “I put him in against Norwich, he played against Brentford, and for me, without a doubt, he should be one of Sheffield Wednesday’s future stars. Coming into this game with ten men was daring. In the middle of the back five, I trust him completely.”
The youngster guided the Owls win their sixth Championship clean sheet of the season, leaving them in ninth place with 32 points. Last season, after 22 games, the Owls had only 16 points and were only slightly above Rotherham United at the bottom of the table.
Röhl also expressed his openness and ambition to continue nurturing young players for Sheffield Wednesday. He stated, “When you count how many players have taken the next level since I arrived with my club. Gass (Gassama) was far distant from this performance; James (Beadle), Shea (Charles), and Gab (Otegbayo) are the next ones. “I enjoy developing young players.
Bernard will now miss Wednesday’s next two games after receiving his second red card of the season. Röhl stated, “It’s a shame it’s two games, especially since you have so many games now; Dish will learn from this. Dish needs to develop, and he will, and I’m confident he will progress to the next level.”
The Owls must now prepare for their Boxing Day clash with Middlesbrough without senior centre-back Bernard. Michael Ihiekwe missed the Stoke encounter due to illness; it remains to be seen whether Otegbayo will make his full league debut.
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