Norwich City v Sheffield Wednesday: No ‘white flag’ insists Danny Rohl as late goals provide Owls with kiss of Championship life
NOTHING suggests that a relegation-haunted side are providing the kiss of life to their own season more than a key late goal or two. In the dying embers of their past three league matches, Sheffield Wednesday[1] have scored successive goals in stoppage time. It has reinvigorated a group of players and psychologically lifted a fanbase, who now have a leader to follow in Danny Rohl, in the process.
Granted, Wednesday have a long way to go if they are to haul themselves out of the bottom three, but they have at least built a base camp.
Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl.
Picture: Getty Images.
They head to David Wagner’s Norwich City[2] tonight on the back of their first away success of the season, with Anthony Musaba’s 91st-minute winner providing comfortably their best moment on the road since returning to the second tier at Stoke City[3] on Saturday. It has further strengthened the bonds between Rohl, his players and supporters on the back of late goals in the victory over Blackburn Rovers and a gutsy and unexpected draw against leaders Leicester City[4]. With seven points from the last available nine, Wednesday are building momentum.
And with six games in the next 19 days, a tantalising opportunity suddenly presents itself. The likes of QPR especially are also showing survival fight. But the Owls need only worry about themselves.
Rohl said: “You can see from the past games that my players still believe until the end that they can take something and this is massive to have this feeling. “And we have to do that again and again and again – we’re not at our goal, and there’s a long way to go. “It says a bit about the league that we’re still where we are (after the last three results), but we won’t raise the white flag.”
Before the German’s arrival, Wednesday’s form certainly pointed to that. They took a pitiful three points from their opening 11 matches. During Rohl’s time at the club so far, they have gathered ten points from nine games, with their form in their past eight fixtures being the 16th best in the division.
Not earth-shattering for sure, but incrementally important progression all the same and an indicator that the playing side of the club finally has direction – with those in blue and white having someone to believe in. Rohl added: “In this league, from my experience in the last weeks, every match is a tough one and we have to be ready again. “It (Norwich) is another away game – it feels like it’s (all) away games right now – but we’ve taken the first points since I arrived, and that’s a good feeling.
“There’s a long way to go, but we’ll prepare as well as we can and from there we can go forward.” Wednesday face a Norwich side who have had their travails at Carrow Road this term. Four defeats have arrived in ten matches, with Leeds United and Middlesbrough among those to triumph there.
Preston stymied the Canaries in a 0-0 weekend draw, with Wagner having urged his side to find their ‘ruthless’ edge again.
References
- ^ Sheffield Wednesday (www.yorkshirepost.co.uk)
- ^ Norwich City (www.yorkshirepost.co.uk)
- ^ Stoke City (www.yorkshirepost.co.uk)
- ^ Leicester City (www.yorkshirepost.co.uk)