Why Josh Windass was selected to take Sheffield Wednesday penalty in Preston North End draw

An under-par Sheffield Wednesday were left rueing a missed opportunity to steal three points away from Preston North End on Saturday.

Danny Röhl, Owls manager, commented candidly after the game about his team’s performance, claiming that Preston was the only team who deserved anything from the match. A 1-1 draw favored the Owls, who scored another come-from-behind goal but handed up the game’s best goal, 1.68 xG to the visitors’ 3.30.
That 1.68 xG included a second-half penalty with the score 1-0, which Freddie Woodman saved from in-form top scorer Josh Windass. The stop breaks Windass’ perfect record of spot kicks for the Owls, with the former Rangers player having previously scored three normal time penalties and four in shootouts.

Another Wednesday player with a perfect spot-kick record, Michael Smith, was on the field, leaving some fans asking why he wasn’t chosen. Windass’ most recent penalty came last week at Hull, after a lengthy wait that threatened to break records.
“The last one Josh scored at Hull and that was the reason why,” replied Röhl. “This is a minor plot point in this game, but it is part of the story. It occurs frequently in football, and it is more about what happens before and after the game as a team. The performance was not satisfactory.

“It makes no sense to discuss this topic. We take this game, and I may be slightly more critical than many others who claim it is a fightback game and another point. For my aspirations today were not appropriate.”