According to Potters manager Steven Schumacher, Stoke City’s squad and strategy for their 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday were heavily influenced by the possibility of a trembling Hillsborough.
A second-half goal by Liam Palmer was cancelled out by Stoke replacement Luke Cundle in front of the largest S6 audience of the season, leaving Owls manager Danny Röhl feeling disappointed by the amount of opportunities his team missed during the game. Due to results from other games, Birmingham City’s unexpected victory over Coventry City on Wednesday increased their deficit on the safety spots to one point, and they fell to 22nd in the standings.
In the first half, Stoke planned to frustrate and slow down the game. When asked how much of their setup was intended to calm down the Wednesday home crowd, Schumacher responded, “It was huge,” to The Star. Without a doubt, Sheffield Wednesday supporters are among the greatest in the nation. Coming out here is usually enjoyable, and I expected them to be right behind the team—especially in light of the events of midweek. They did not disappoint.
“We had that similar experience that last year when both teams were trying to win the league and they play a big part in it. The team was picked for that reason, to withstand that pressure, and that’s what they did.”
Schumacher admitted the fact that a Wednesday win would draw them level on points was a big part of his mindset heading into the clash, which saw them withstand periods of Owls pressure. Röhl opted for a more direct style of play as displayed in the second half of their Norwich City comeback on Tuesday evening.
Schumacher continued: “We knew that it was going to be a tough start to the game after they had such a brilliant result in midweek, coming from two goals down. They’d played in a certain style and we expected them to do so again. We expected to come under the cosh. We didn’t think we’d be under as much pressure as we were, but credit to them, they started the game really well with the crowd behind them.
“There were loads of crosses into the box, loads of corners and we’ve defended them really well. The goalkeeper made a really good save in that spell and we got stronger as the half went on. We started to put them under pressure, we showed brilliant character and got ourselves in the game. We changed the shape and got some fresh legs on the wing where there was a bit more space. We deserved to get something from the game.”
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