Ossett United 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday U21s

Ossett United 0-2 Sheffield Wednesday U21s

Pre-Season Friendly

Friday 12th July 2024

What a pleasure it was to witness this game - and what a positive start to pre-season for Sheffield Wednesday’s U21s.

On a night when the Owls were dressed as the Netherlands, the young lads showed their own brightness and were really impressive in this 2-0 win at Ossett United. 

It was a good performance; there was a pace, tempo and very good intensity about the Owls’ play for large parts of the night. Ball retention was quite good. Some of the movement was well-rehearsed and adapted perfectly in a game situation and the patterns of play were decent. As a team, the lads looked sharp, effective and loads of different players showed their own individual qualities. There were positives. It was refreshing and the best of all the pre-season games which I’ve watched so far.

And just like the Netherlands earlier this week, Wednesday bagged an early goal when Bruno Fernandes finished low from inside the box and in the opening half-hour, they had more possession and were on top - creating other chances too. Joey Phuthi was exceptional and seemed proper fired up and determined to shine and he caused havoc with his sharp pace, stepovers and trickery and nearly scored in one instance when he flashed a shot wide. Bruno Fernandes also went close with an effort, Sam Bentley got a header on target from a corner, and there was another shot which went just a couple of inches wide of the post.

Ossett got better as the half went on and from 30-40 minutes they had their best spell of the game as Wednesday temporarily looked a bit flustered. A couple of warning-sign shots were put into the side-netting, one big chance was put over the bar after the ball dropped to the striker inside the Owls box following a corner, and in the Sheepicorns’ biggest chance of them all, Jack Hall got down well to smother the ball and make a really good save to ensure his team remained ahead.

At half-time there were loads of substitutions - one of which saw Mackenzie Maltby (class to watch) introduced for Sheffield Wednesday and his intelligent ball over the top to Jay Buchan early in the second half very nearly put him in on goal.

Ossett had their moments but when a second goal in the game finally arrived, it was the Owls who scored it and trialist George Brown appeared to make it 2-0 by toe-poking the ball home from inside the box after Jarvis Thornton (I think) flashed an effort in from the left - difficult to tell exactly what happened as I was stood 80 yards away down at the other end of the pitch and only saw the conversion; not who had the initial shot. So if I’ve got it wrong just call me an idiot!

Thereafter, the Owls stepped things up again and could have had a third goal on a couple of occasions as No.16 (Sutra Kakay) let fly with an effort from distance whilst Joey Phuthi showed more electric pace and technique to burst down the right, beat his man and cut inside before firing over from a tight angle in the latter stages.

And at the other end, Ossett - and a very frustrated Ross Duggan - were nullified by the excellence of Mackenzie Maltby, Cian Flannery, Sam Bentley and others as the boys in orange stood firm to keep a very deserved clean-sheet.

Again, it was a good game - and I can’t speak highly enough of the effort and tempo created in the game because it was of such a high standard. The way the Owls moved the ball, linked things up and played to each other’s best strengths was impressive. The passing, pass-completion rate, and variety of passing itself - including some lovely floated diagonal balls which found people in space and led to openings - was eye-catching. And if the boys play like this every week then they’re going to be good to watch and have a really good season. No doubt about it whatsoever.

There’s still plenty to learn from this performance - and the period from 30-40 minutes where Ossett got on top is an ideal learning curve and something to reflect on, but otherwise, there were plenty of positives on a good night.

Individually amongst the Wednesday ranks…

Jack Hall - Very good save in the first half when he got down well and smothered the ball which proved critical to the outcome. Good handling in the second half when he claimed a corner and a clean-sheet he ought to be proud about. A good night. Well done.

Joe Emery - Ratty and effective. A steady first half performance and then some really good contributions in the second half, including shielding the ball very well under pressure near the corner flag and showing a nice little undertone of tenacity within his game. A good trait and had a lovely first touch too which I saw on a few occasions. Liked it.

Reece Johnson - Steady again, pushed high and got into some great positions on the left-hand side - including when he received a diagonal pass not long before the half-time whistle. I was stood on the opposite side of the pitch to where he was playing so hard to comment too much but he didn’t particularly do anything wrong.

Sam Bentley - Didn’t look out of place whatsoever and generally had a good first 45 minutes, before coming on and playing the last 20-25 minutes. The highlight was a nutmeg near the dugouts but on 3-4 occasions he showed his reading of the game by nipping in to win the ball in good areas and stop dangerous situations from developing. Not a bad night. Cleared his lines well. Kept a clean-sheet and I appreciate the qualities he has to offer. Good performance and I hope Wednesday offer him a deal because he adds something to this team!

Cian Flannery - Took corners from the right in the first half (interesting) and also switched a fantastic floated ball out wide to Emery early in the second half. Good distribution and did well and involved in the clean-sheet. Good player.

Jarvis Thornton - Wore the No.6 shirt and a steady performance. Had the shot (I think) which led to the second goal although I might be wrong, but competed well and played his role. Involved in some good bits of link-up play, moved well and tidy in possession.

Joey Phuthi - Was exceptional in the first 20 minutes with his absolutely RAPID pace, teased and tormented his man by running at him - doing step-overs galore and causing problems with his quick-thinking and nimble movement. It was delightful to watch and probably the best I’ve EVER seen him play because every team appreciates a player who gets at their man by being so direct and dangerous. And if he does this in games when a team is needing to get the ball high up the pitch to protect what they have and carries the ball 40-50 yards, it’ll help a team so much. Will be disappointed he didn’t score (end product is something to work on) as he got himself into some fantastic positions but if he maintains this performance level every week then he’s going to get noticed very quickly.

Jay Buchan - A good game. Looked sharp on his feet in midfield; passed well and involved in plenty of moves and looks to have filled out a bit too which should help his game and it helped him compete physically. Shielded the ball well in a few instances (so put that physicality into practice which was a good trait), added quality and made a good run which Mackenzie Maltby spotted with the ball over the top early in the second half. Showed a lot of confidence in the work he did and was impressive in midfield. Also on left-sided corners with his right-foot.

George Brown - On trial and scored the second goal which he’ll be buzzing about. Dropped back to win the ball inside his own half not long after half-time which was a good contribution, dropped back to defend when Ossett had set-pieces and posed a threat upfront with his height and presence. Bits to work on but alright game and looked a useful player who I’d be happy to watch again. Seen worse; seen better - but the biggest point is he has something about him.

Bruno Fernandes - Good, pace and technique. Nimble, nifty and will be delighted to have got the first goal. Dropped back brilliantly to win the ball just before the interval and used his turn of pace/acceleration to bring it away under pressure.

Favour Onukwuli - Had a shot within the first 60 seconds and very similar to Joey Phuthi, used his pace effectively on a few instances to be direct and get at his opponent and cause problems down the left-hand side. Technique was good, touch was decent and a good showing and when the end product comes, he’ll be even better. Ability is there for certain.

Mackenzie Maltby - Came on at half-time and was impressive from the outset. Almost immediately won his first header which set the tone for a very good 45 minutes and loads of positive elements to his game. Big physique, was quick and sharp on his feet and physically competed with Ross Duggan; plenty of grappling (could tell he loved that aspect by the mutual admiration and handshake at the final whistle) and he handled it well - including one incident where the Ossett striker just bounced off him. He showed strength, passed the ball positively and moved it well, various good passes on the floor and two separate floated 50-yard balls to feet at different points which were spot on. Showed a certain intelligence and just looked SOLID in the backline with lots of little bits of organising, talking and leading when and where it was needed. All noticeable. Really impressive and a very, very good player who I appreciate watching so much as there’s so many good characteristics to his game. Can’t speak positively enough about him.

Sutra Kakay - Had a couple of shots - including a long-range one in the second half which the ‘keeper grabbed at the second attempt and posed a threat. Involved in some good moves and added a bit of quality. Will be good to watch him again.

There were a few other players involved - Finley Hunt, Jack Swailes and Dom Weston were all named on the team-sheet and featured at some point. Apologies for not writing about you lads (if you read this) as the ‘Roll On, Roll Off’ style subs made it difficult to keep track of exactly who was on the pitch and when, etc, but I will be at other pre-season games so I’ll get to watch you at some point.

But all in all, a good night - positive, refreshing and nice to watch. Keep it up!