More of the same – that’ll be the call from Wednesday boss Dave Jones as they Owls look to kick-on from their 4-1 midweek win over Bury when Bournemouth visit Hillsborough this weekend.
Midweek results in npower League 1 meant the Owls closed the gap on second-placed Sheffield United to just a point – meaning Jones’s men could find themselves in the automatic promotion spots come 5.45pm on Saturday.
The Bury win was Jones’s first in charge of the Owls, coming at the first time of asking, and the Wednesday boss will be looking for his men to stick to the standards set on Tuesday night.
They’ll be favourites to do just that, with Bournemouth arriving in South Yorkshire on the back of four straight defeats.
Vital Quotes:
Owls boss Dave Jones told the Sheffield Star:
“I`ve been been very impressed with the mentality and willingness to learn. There`s great camaraderie here; that`s good.
“When you go to a new club, usually they`re at the other end of the table, confidence is low and you have to build it up bit by bit.Here, confidence should be high, so you can move on to the next stage.
“It`s always nice to start at home with a victory; the lads responded really well. It`s a case of keeping it going, adding a bit more.”
Cherries assistant manager Russ Wilcox told the official Bournemouth website:
‘I thought our performance against Charlton last Saturday was outstanding. If you watched the game as a neutral you could have easily thought that we were the team at the top of the league. It was so disappointing for everyone at the club not to get a result from it; but we can still take many positives away.
‘We need to continue to try to marry results with performances, in order to get the returns that we feel we deserve.’
Wednesday Team News:
Dave Jones has said that everyone in the current Owls squad will get a chance under his leadership, but a 4-1 win against Bury in his first game in charge could mean he’ll stick with the winning formula for the visit of Bournemouth.
Defender Reda Johnson is back in contention following an injury setback, but Julian Bennett could continue at left-back following a strong showing against the Shakers.
Chris O’Grady may also have to settle for another place on the bench after strike pairing Gary Madine and Ryan Lowe linked so well in midweek.
The only long-term absentee is winger Jemaine Johnson, who’s expected to be on the sidelines for the majority of the remainder of the season.
Player to watch: Michail Antonio
The on-loan Reading man was star of the show as Wednesday demolished Bury in midweek with two goals and an assist. He’s set the standards, and Owls fans will be keen for him to continue them this weekend.
Bournemouth Team News:
The Cherries have been struggling of late with four defeats on the spin, but they were slightly upbeat following their performance against league leaders Charlton Athletic last time out.
Bournemouth’s cause hasn’t been helped by a number of injuries to key first-team players.
Goalkeeper Shwan Jalal, who had a brief stint with the Owls a few years ago is out through a back injury, while Adam Barrett is also expected to miss out through a hamstring problem.
The Cherries will also be without top-scorer Marc Pugh, who’s returned to action but is still believed to be a week or so away from being put back into the matchday squad.
Charlie Sheringham, Stephen Purches and Mark Molesley are also sidelined through injury.
Player to watch: Wes Thomas
Bournemouth will make the trip up to South Yorkshire without the services of their top-scorer Marc Pugh. The next best thing? Wes Thomas, who’s netted ten goals for the Cherries so far this season.
Match Facts & Stats
Form:
Wednesday: W-D-W-L-L
Bournemouth: L-L-L-L-D
Head-to-Head:
Wednesday wins: 3
Bournemouth wins: 5
Draws: 6
Last Time Out:
Bournemouth 2-0 Wednesday
Dean Court, 13/08/11
The Cherries eased to victory in their first home match of the season. Goals from Adam Barrett and Harry Arter helped them to three points in the reverse fixture.
Next Fixtures:
v Notts County (A) – 17/3/12
v Walsall (H) – 20/3/12
