Sheffield Wednesday 2 Barnsley 1: Madine is on mission to cement his future with Owls

SHEFFIELD Wednesday striker Gary Madine says it is nice to feel loved again after missing the opportunity to hit a milestone target.
Reda Johnson heads the Owls second goalReda Johnson heads the Owls second goal
Reda Johnson heads the Owls second goal

Given his first start in 11 matches, the striker turned the South Yorkshire relegation battle at Hillsborough in Sheffield Wednesday’s favour with a close-range finish in the 65th-minute but, after Reda Johnson had made it 2-0, Madine fluffed a penalty which would have allowed them to coast home.

Barnsley’s never-say-die spirit enabled them to make it 2-1 through Jacob Mellis and it was a nervous six minutes of stoppage time which the Owls had to negotiate before they leapfrogged their visitors to stay a point clear of the drop zone and leave the Reds next to bottom.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The spot-kick was awarded in the 84th minute when substitute Chris Maguire crossed from the right edge of the area and the ball struck Bobby Hassell. The Reds were adamant it hit the defender in the face, but referee Graham Salisbury deemed it had been deliberate handball even though it was struck at him from close range.

“That penalty was for my 50th career goal and it was already in my head that I had scored,” confessed Madine, who drove his spot-kick wide of Luke Steele’s left-hand post in front of the Kop.

“Usually, I just run up and smash it, but I was really confident and thought I would just stroke it into the corner. But, as soon as they pulled a goal back, the first thing I was thinking was that if Barnsley make it 2-2 here I will be getting the blame but, thankfully, we held on.”

Madine had put in a strong performance partnering Leroy Lita up front before he turned in a lovely diagonal driven cross from right-back Lewis Buxton, who was dismissed in the 82nd minute for a second bookable offence when he charged out of a defensive wall too soon.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Madine continued: “I am obviously pleased with my performance, but I thrive on service and I have to praise Lewis for the ball in. It was a good little build-up and Lewis’s ball in was on a plate and was just asking to be put in the back of the net.”

Heartened by his manager’s post-match praise, Madine added: “It was nice to hear that Dave Jones wanted to keep me. I’m the type of person that needs to feel loved, it brings out the best in me. But the gaffer has said that to me before and told me to stay, and then signed Connor Wickham, so you never quite know sometimes.

“I don’t really want to say it, but not playing does bring you down a little bit – I love Sheffield and I don’t want to move, but I was starting to think maybe it was time to move on and get a new start. Hopefully I can keep my consistency levels up and, if I can, I won’t be going anywhere.”

There must have been more doubt put in Madine’s mind when Jones signed striker Steve Howard on emergency loan deadline day.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The experienced forward did not figure on Saturday, although the Owls’ other two new additions, Seyi Olofinjana and Stuart Holden, were paired in midfield.

Of the extra competition up front, Madine said: “You just have to keep your head. I just want to be classed as a Championship player come next season – I don’t want to fall out with anyone just because someone’s come in who is in the same position as me.

“Steve Howard was the first person to come and speak to me after the game and congratulate me and say I had done well.”

Madine was also full of praise for the backing the Owls got – there were almost 30,000 in the stadium with around 4,500 from Barnsley – though they were subdued in the first half.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Barnsley produced what little passing football there was on a bumpy pitch yet the goalmouth scares were generally in the away end, Martin Cranie clearing off the line as Lita attempted to hook the ball in from Buxton’s deep free-kick.

The Reds got on top for a spell after the break, but just past the hour-mark Chris Kirkland produced the save of the game, going full-length to his left to divert a 
vicious, swerving shot from outside the area from substitute 
Reuben Noble-Lazarus.

Within four minutes, the Owls were ahead and they began to overpower the visitors, left-back Johnson ghosting in round the back to head home the second from Miguel Llera’s free-kick from central midfield.

The penalty miss and red card, however, gave Barnsley hope and Mellis got his reward for a forceful display when he took a return pass from Marlon Harewood and drilled the ball across Kirkland into the net in that prolonged stoppage time.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It proved scant consolation and left Barnsley having yet again to claw their way out of the bottom three.

Wednesday are far from safe either, but today they face a trip to bottom club Bristol City, who are six points adrift of safety, and Madine continued: “Before the Barnsley game, the gaffer said we have nine cup finals and we have won the first one – now we have eight left.

“We will approach Bristol on Monday with the same attitude and, hopefully, we will get the same result. This league is crazy. I was watching Crystal Palace and Birmingham City on television the other night and the form Palace are in you would have fancied them massively, but Birmingham went and turned them over 4-0 – it’s a crazy league, but it’s great to be in.”

He is also hoping to upset the bookmakers by going on a scoring run.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Last season, I was going into every game thinking I was going to score. My odds used to be 2-1 for the first goal and I am now 6-1, so, hopefully, this goal will kickstart my season again.

“I just need to improve my consistency levels.

“I am sometimes hot and cold, I will either have a really good game or a poor one.

“I need to try and get somewhere in the middle and keep that shirt.”