Owls talk to former Newcastle striker LuaLua

MANAGER Gary Megson admits to having a selection headache ahead of tonight’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy tie at Bradford City.

After seven games in the opening 21 days of the new season, the Owls squad has been tested to its limits with just two fit strikers available in Gary Madine and Clinton Morrison.

Megson is desperate to add more firepower and the Owls are in talks with former Newcastle United striker Lomana LuaLua.

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The 30-year-old, who was at Hillsborough on Saturday to watch Wednesday beat Scunthorpe United 3-2 in League One, is a free agent after leaving Cypriot club Omonia.

“I think that’s seven games that we have played this season in the space of 21 days and now we have got another one coming on Tuesday, so you don’t get much respite,” said Megson, who made wholesale changes for the Carling Cup ties with Blackpool and Blackburn Rovers.

“It’s no reflection on Johnstone’s Paint, I think everyone’s grateful to them as sponsors and the quality of support they show to football.

“But, from our point of view, it’s a headache on the right thing to do for Sheffield Wednesday.”

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After missing out on Rotherham United’s Adam Le Fondre, who signed for Championship cub Reading over the weekend, Megson is wary of any panic signings.

“We have been trying for ages to bring a striker in,” said Megson. “But having spoke to everyone concerned here, one of the reasons we are where we are is because we have signed a lot of players – historically in the last 10, 12 years – that others don’t want.

“They end up here, it becomes a bit of a rest home and it becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy: we are not good enough, we struggle, we go do it again, we struggle.

“We are now going for players that maybe other clubs want. That makes life more difficult.”

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After conceding twice against Scunthorpe, Megson is also keen for a return to the defensive standards set in the opening-day defeat of Rochdale.

“We have got to go back to some of the work we were doing in pre-season because I thought at times (on Saturday) we struggled a little bit,” he said. “I don’t know why.

“We have had to chop and change a little bit because of these Cup ties but that’s nobody’s fault, that’s my decision to do so.

“I hope that doesn’t sound like an excuse, but you can see against Scunthorpe we weren’t anywhere near as cohesive as we were three weeks ago, with the same players.

“I will pick a side which I think is right for Wednesday, which is what I always do.”