Garry Monk expects Joe Wildsmith and Cameron Dawson to battle for No 1 shirt at Sheffield Wednesday

A likeable lad and an adept keeper with high standards, the 24-year-old had cause to rue his failure to keep out Sergio Aguero’s 53rd-minute strike in the Owls’ FA Cup exit to City – in what proved to be the only goal of the game.

It was the only blemish on an occasion when Wildsmith was otherwise immaculate and had plenty to be proud about as he walked off the pitch at Hillsborough, while providing his manager with food for thought.

Garry Monk admitted that the midweek performance of the Sheffielder was a strong one, with the Owls chief predicting a battle royal between him and Cameron Dawson for first-team duties in the months and years ahead.

It was a significant night for Wildsmith, handed his first Owls appearance since back in August 2018.

After playing second fiddle to Dawson and Keiren Westwood last term, Wildsmith – sidelined for most of this campaign after suffering a knee injury in pre-season – is playing catch-up, but with veteran keeper Westwood not in Monk’s plans, he now has the platform to push good friend Dawson for No 1 duties if he stays clear of injury.

Monk said: “It will be interesting in seasons to come with those two. The competition is there and they have a lot of respect for each other.

“It is a competition between both of them; the same with all places (across the team). It is great; those two are young keepers making their way. They are not ‘young, young’, but they are young enough to be there.

“To have two young quality keepers is a really good, strong thing for the club. They are only going to get better by pushing each other every day in training.

“It will be interesting to see that battle in the coming weeks, months and hopefully years to come.”

On his decision to start Wildsmith in the televised fixture, Monk added: “It was also to reward Joe. He had a big injury and has come back later into the season.

“But he has been training hard and getting himself fitter and fitter and he deserved this reward as well. That was the reason behind playing him and it was a fantastic contribution.”

Alongside provoking mixed emotions for Wildsmith, the evening represented an ‘if only’ one for Monk and it was nothing necessarily to do with his side’s cup elimination.

It was everything to do with the sight of his side producing a disciplined, energetic and organised display, something which has been conspicuous by its absence in recent times at league level.

The challenge, as Monk acknowledges, is for his side to replicate that level of performance not just for a marquee occasion, but the bread-and-butter ones.

He said: “That is why we did so well and were third at Christmas, but in the last 10 games, for various reasons – a lot of it self-inflicted – we have not been at those levels consistently enough.

“Hopefully that gives them belief of doing it again. Doing it against that quality side, why can’t we do it in the remaining games.

“That is what the players can take from the game and that is what I have told them.

“Hopefully the players take on board how they thought and focused and the mentality they took into this game.”