Vital Viewpoint – Dingles vs Owls

Our man on the spot, robtheowl, provides his player ratings in a new era for Wednesday.

Grant – 6/10

Could not really tell if he could have done better for Barnsley’s goal, just looked like a fluke. Caught all of the balls floated in by corners and crosses but was never really threatened by the Barnsley attack.

Buxton – 7/10

Good, solid performance. Was surprised to see his name on the team sheet rather than Frankie’s, but he did his job. Looked comfortable on the ball and made one superb run, finding himself on the edge of the area: pity his shot went out for a throw-in.

Purse – 5/10

Seemed to me that his positioning was an improvement and he made countless clearances. However, still made one woeful error with a dire header aiming back to the keeper, which led to Bogdanovic one on one with Grant. Distribution not good enough.

Beevers – 8/10

Showed on Saturday why he was so highly rated a couple of years ago. Put his body and head in the way of everything, made some class tackles and really looked up for the challenge.

Spurr – 7/10

So pleased that Tommy scored. I think it was just what he needed to boost his confidence. Looked much more composed and comfortable than he has been all season. Some great sliding challenges, and again was up for the game.

Gray – 7/10

Just what we needed in the second half. A cool head who, when on the ball, could relieve some of the bombardment Barnsley put us under. Pure quality on the ball and ran his socks off for a 34 year old.

Potter – 6/10

Another cool head when we were under pressure. Showed his passing ability, spraying the ball into the right areas and calmed the game down. Also made a terrific headed goal line clearance at 2-1.

O’Connor – 8/10

Been the best player all season for Wednesday and showed why yet again today. Never gave up, closed the opposition down and won mostly everything in the air: that shows commitment for someone his size. So unlucky not to score when their keeper tipped his effort onto the bar.

Soares – 5/10

Did his job. Very anonymous at times and looked unfit. However, did the simple stuff and you cannot criticise him due to the fact he has not played much first team football for the past two years. His strength is a real bonus at times.

Tudgay – 7/10

Worked ever so hard and like Irvine said he did the ‘ugly’ things well. Always back helping, again extremely effective in the air and never stopped trying. Just needs to find the goal!

Johnson – 9/10 MoM

Fantastic. JJ gave Barnsley a real tough time. His power and pace can be such an asset for us. Deserved his goal which was well taken. Darren Moore gave him a hard time in the 2nd half but to be fair he never gave up. If inconsistency did not exist…

SUBS:

Sodje – 5/10

Did what was probably asked from him when he came on, slowed the game down and took the ball to the corner flag, resulting in winning a corner and a free kick.

Made me proud to be an Owl on Saturday. The players gave 100% effort and looked as if they were so desperate to impress the new boss. The fans were terrific, never stopped singing and created the best atmosphere at a game I have seen for many years. Finally, for once in a long, long, long, long time I can say the defence actually looked solid! MATCH – 10/10

Thanks to robtheowl. Note: If you’re a member of our forum, and you’re going to the match, you can contribute player ratings for the site. Watch out for the forum thread each week, volunteer.. it’s a good opportunity to express your feelings on how things are going at Hillsborough, if nothing else!