O’Donnell handed chance to shine at Wednesday

THE IMPORTANCE of putting on a good show will not be lost today on Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Richard O’Donnell.

With first choice Nicky Weaver in the USA fighting to save his career, O’Donnell has an opportunity to step up to the plate. Not just for the next few games but for the rest of the season. To be blunt, it may even be a case of ‘now or never’.

O’Donnell, 22, has spent seven years at Hillsborough but was almost dumped on the scrapheap last season.

For 24 hours, he was on loan at non-league Alfreton Town, his prospects fading faster than a spray tan in a heavy shower.

The sudden loss of Weaver and Arron Jameson through injury, however, prompted a hasty recall to Hillsborough.

His performances in the next eight games landed a new one-year deal.

Weaver recovered last season and O’Donnell duly stepped down to the bench. This time around, Weaver’s recovery may not be so swift.

Whether it signals the end of a career remains to be seen but the former Manchester City goalkeeper has flown to Ohio to visit the surgeon who inserted a dead man’s cartilage into his knee seven years ago.

O’Donnell would prefer to be in the side on merit rather than by misfortune but Weaver’s bad luck is his opportunity.

But if he is to achieve his dream of becoming Wednesday’s first-choice goalkeeper on a permanent basis, O’Donnell needs to deliver.

Anything less than a solid 90 minutes against League One leaders Milton Keynes Dons today may push manager Gary Megson into the loan market.

“It’s all about my performances now and how I do. If I am not performing, I know I might not be in the team,” O’Donnell admitted.

“I want to be Sheffield Wednesday’s No 1 goalkeeper long term – 100 per cent. If that wasn’t my aim, I shouldn’t really be here. This is my big chance and I’m a bit older so expectations of me are a little bit higher. It’s up to me to prove what I can do.”

Born and bred in Walkley, O’Donnell used to walk to Hillsborough on a Saturday afternoon to support the Owls. His hero was Kevin Pressman and his season ticket was situated near the back of the Kop.

He was briefly on the books at Sheffield United but moved across the city to join his favourite team aged 15.

“I was actually a striker until I played a year in goal for my local Sunday league team Wisewood Juniors, aged 13,” he says. “I was scouted by Sheffield United and I stayed there for a year but when my coach Tony Tunstall moved to Wednesday, I came over with him.

“It’s crazy to think that I used to sit on the Kop not so long ago and now I am on the field. My mum, my dad, my girlfriend, her family, my sister, my niece – they are all Wednesday supporters who love watching the team. I think they would be here on a Saturday even if I wasn’t playing in the team.

“It probably does mean more to me to play for the club but everyone wants the same thing,” he stressed. “We all want to push it forward and get the club back where it should be. Personally, I used to watch the team in the Premiership and I still believe that’s where it should be. Not even bottom of the Premiership – we should be pushing up at the top.

“This is a sleeping giant and it’s not necessarily the people here now who have put it in this position – but it’s us who have to get it out and that’s what we aim to do.”

Over the last four years, the Owls have dispatched O’Donnell to a string of lower clubs to gain experience on loan. He played first-team football for Oldham Athletic and Grimsby Town, warmed the bench at Rotherham United, and also had brief spells with York City and Buxton.

By his own admission, the start of last season was one to forget. His path to first-team football at Hillsborough appeared to be getting longer instead of shorter.

“When I went to Grimsby on loan it was at a time when I wasn’t even getting in the squad so I was really down,” he admitted. “But that move gave me a lift and Grimsby helped me massively. Without that, I wouldn’t be here now.

“When I got my chance (after Alfreton), I had played a dozen first-team games so I was ready. I loved playing week-in, week-out and, hopefully, if given the chance to do the same again now, I can produce some good performances and kick on from there.”

O’Donnell deputised for Weaver in Monday night’s televised 1-1 draw at Charlton Athletic. He had also played the majority of the previous game against Bradford City in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy when Weaver, uninjured, was substituted after less than two minutes.

“You don’t like to get a chance due to someone else’s misfortune. I’d like to think it had come off my own work and performance,” he said. “Nicky and I are very close. He’s brilliant to be around and I can only benefit from his experience.

“I spoke to him on Tuesday about Monday’s game. Personally, I would have liked to have done a little bit better for the goal but I was a bit unsighted. It was a good point, after the way we started, and we took a lot of positives from the second-half display.”

Under Megson, the Owls have become a formidable opponent on home soil, winning seven of the last nine games at Hillsborough. Away form, however, has been nowhere near as good and needs to improve if automatic promotion is to be attained.

“The gaffer is very vocal and very passionate about this club and that definitely helps,” said O’Donnell. “Like any manager, if you’re not doing what he wants, he is entitled to tell you. The bottom line is that if you work hard and your attitude is right, that’s half the battle. That’s what he tries to get across and we give him 100 per cent.

“It’s still early days this season. MK Dons are top of the league but we were top of the league until nearly Christmas last year so that just shows what can happen. I think we have the strongest squad in the league. Now it’s a case of playing how we can. We have shown it time and time again at Hillsborough. So it will be a good test for us this weekend.”

Although he will be out of contract next summer, O’Donnell is focusing on his immediate future. If that goes well, the rest will take care of itself.