Sheffield Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen's message to young braves after Middlesbrough
GIVEN the fact that stricken Sheffield Wednesday have operated with not just one arm tied behind their Championship backs in a torrid 2025-26 season, but two - small 'successes' and moral victories should count for something.
Wednesday's run without an EFL victory has reached historic proportions. It extended to a 38th game on Teesside in a 1-0 reverse. There was more to it than meets the eye, like with several in 2025-26.
For instance, consider the reverse fixture at Hillsborough, another single-goal loss. Any neutral observer—not just Wednesdayites - would have justifiably said that the Owls merited a point against a promotion-chasing side.
Earlier this month, Henrik Pedersen's side took one at Coventry City side who were pushing for the title and ensured the Sky Blues' silverware celebrations were placed on ice for the time being.
Two other sides in the play-off mix have also been pegged back by the Owls, who have also drawn with Wrexham and Hull City.
Barring one aberration early on from defender Gabriel Otegbayo - which effectively cost the visitors a point in his attempts to play out from the back - the Owls' showing at Middlesbrough was one where they showcased not just energy, organisation and pride, but also threat in spells.
They came into the game on a three-match unbeaten sequence and you could see why.
It was a proactive display from Pedersen's young braves, even if Otegbayo took things a bit far with his fateful pass inside for Morgan Whittaker's 11th-minute winner - he also struck at Hillsborough.
By the final whistle, Boro were mightily relieved to claim three play-off clinching points.
Teenage substitute Will Grainger spurned a big chance to level for Wednesday, who could and probably should have had a penalty after referee David Webb failed to penalise Aidan Morris for handball under the slightest of pressure from Max Lowe.
Pedersen ventured: "From where I stood, it looked like that (a penalty). He (Morris) was a very good friend with the ball..."
Regarding his side's performance and his take on Otegbayo's error, the Owls chief said: "We want to play with courage and belief and here it was a little bit too much.
"So of course, there will be some mistakes, but this is not the question, the question is, how do they react from them?
"And here, Gab reacted fantastically, the whole team reacted to him, it's a strong team.
"Murphy (Cooper) is young, Sean (Fusire) is young, Gab is young, Tayo (Adaramola) is young; there's Jarvis (Thornton), Jaden (Heskey), Charlie (McNeill).. To play away at Middlesbrough is not an easy place to play. It's such a strong team.
"They have such a good manager, he organises his team so well. We stayed in the game when it was most difficult. To show this high mental level to just go again and again is very, very strong and it shows me that the culture in this group is very, very good."