Into South Yorkshire for our first of two trips this season, off to Hillsborough for what is likely to be our last visit for possibly a couple of seasons due to situations caused by a dodgy ex foreign owner. Sadly this is still happening around the league but at least there is some light at the end of the tunnel for the Owls https://www.swfc.co.uk/ MANAGER Henrik Pedersen (born 2 January 1978) is a Danish football manager who is the manager of EFL please log in to view this image Photograph attribution Maniacofsport FORM GUIDE please log in to view this image FORM GUIDE OWLS 3 PNE 12 Watched their game at the Den on Wednesday night, battled hard nearly had a wonder goal by Bannon, they also hit the bar the lad should have scored. Newbies and hot shots please log in to view this image Team News please log in to view this image Ben Whiteman will return to the squad after serving a one-match suspension, meanwhile fellow midfielder Harrison Armstrong is also likely to be back involved, having missed the last two matches through injury. It seemed like North End picked up a few bumps and bruises on Tuesday night, however everyone has come through unscathed and should be in contention on Saturday. Ali McCann, Andrija Vukčević, Brad Potts, Lewis Gibson, Robbie Brady and Theo Carroll will all miss out again. The Hosts please log in to view this image Sheffield Wednesday head into the weekend sat bottom of the table, but that by no means tells the full story. It’s been a tumultuous time for the Owls who entered administration in October and were deducted 12 points, leaving Henrik Pedersen with the difficult task of retaining their Championship status. The team and supporters have really stuck together through difficult times, though, and as Paul Heckingbottom spoke about in his pre-match press conference, they are proving really competitive and fighting for every point. Match Officials please log in to view this image Referee: Oliver Langford Assistant Referees: Mark Stevens and David Harrison Fourth Official: Matthew Russell Experienced official Oliver Langford will take charge of Saturday’s fixture. The referee was the man in the middle for North End’s season opener against QPR and so far this campaign has shown 34 yellow cards and one red in ten matches. Langford, may the Lord have mercy on our souls We’ve Met Before An Emil Riis brace and a penalty from Sam Greenwood earned North End a 3-1 win in the final match of 2024.# Paul Heckingbottom expects a really competitive contest against a Sheffield Wednesday side who are “fighting for every point”. North End head to Hillsborough this weekend to take on the division’s bottom side, who have a big task on their hands to recover from a 12-point deduction after the club entered administration. Incidentally, that’s injected renewed energy into the fanbase, who have flocked back to the stadium to get right behind their team, who lost narrowly to Millwall during the week. Hecky Expecting ‘Really Competitive’ Wednesday ClashPaul Heckingbottom expects a really competitive contest against a Sheffield Wednesday side who are “fighting for every point”. Hecky said: “With the position they're in in the league, they're fighting for every game, fighting for every point and being really competitive. What's hindered them is the size of the squad and the options that you've then got, which obviously we've experienced but that's through injuries and suspensions, whereas they've got that constantly. “Away from that, there's still a positive feel around the place because there's light at the end of the tunnel now. It's not like there's any pressure on the manager or on the players, except for the pressure they're putting on themselves, which makes it another dangerous game. “We've got to make sure that we go there with no pity and being as honest and as aggressive and as intense as we possibly can, just like we do every game to get three points.” PNE head to Yorkshire sat sixth in the Championship table which is looking perhaps as tight as ever after 17 matches. Only six points separate Millwall in fourth and West Brom in 17th – a sign of how many teams will still consider themselves in with a chance of pushing for the Play-Offs. Hecky said: “I knew it was tight, but that sounds mental when you say that. It just shows, that's why the margins are always fine and that’s why you should fight for everything and scrap for every inch on a pitch. “We speak about decisions a lot and possibly introducing VAR. When a league's this tight, you can see the importance of stuff like that. “But from a fan point of view and as someone involved in it, it’s great, and I think it makes for a really good league to watch.”
