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Sheffield Wednesday suffered a 1-0 defeat to Bradford City at Hillsborough on Thursday evening.
Aden Baldwin scored the only goal of the game. Matt Pennington flicked on an Ibou Touray corner before Baldwin smashed the ball home.
Wednesday struggled for much of the match. The Owls looked like a team still trying to gel.
Barry Bannan tried to control the midfield, but Wednesday could not create enough opportunities.
The Owls also completed the loan signing of Kieran Morrison from Liverpool on Thursday.
Henrik Pedersen’s side appear close to another addition. Former Rotherham United defender Reece James could join the club to provide competition for left-back Max Lowe.
Rumours of Vardy return
Rumours about a possible Jamie Vardy return continue to circulate.
The former Leicester City striker remains a popular name among Sheffield Wednesday supporters. However, there has been no confirmed return at this stage.
Wednesday started their League One campaign with a 2-1 win over Leyton Orient. Callum Slattery and Jamal Lowe scored for the Owls.
Pedersen admitted his team did not maintain the same level against Bradford. However, he praised their first-half performance.
Speaking to the Sheffield Star, Pedersen highlighted the team’s aggressive approach.
“This aggressive mindset, forward mindset, our pressing, with front-foot defending, we played forward when we won the ball,” he said.
He also praised the speed of their passing and their work after losing possession.
“We played less long balls and had more forwarded passes where we bypassed the opponent and speed up the game. When we lost the ball we won it again.”
Not at the same level
Pedersen was unhappy with Wednesday’s second-half display.
“In the second half we went we also had phases where we saw this, but not at the same level,” he said.
“So [the] second half was not good enough after a strong first half.”
The manager believes Bradford won too many key battles after the interval.
He pointed to long balls, second balls, running and physical duels as areas where Wednesday needed to improve.
Bradford also benefited from greater cohesion. Pedersen noted that their opponents have played together for a long time.
The Sheffield Wednesday manager also believes conceding the opening goal affected his players’ confidence.
“For me, it’s more the learning that we are coming 1-0 down, and then we lose a little bit of confidence,” he said.
Pedersen wants his team to respond more aggressively when they fall behind.
The Owls now face a busy period. They host Wolves in the EFL Cup during midweek before welcoming League One newcomers Bromley next weekend.
Wednesday will hope those two home games provide an opportunity to return to winning ways.
The defeat to Bradford highlighted several areas for Pedersen to address. Meanwhile, the continued Jamie Vardy rumours will keep Sheffield Wednesday supporters interested as the transfer window approaches its conclusion.
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