The background figure credited with masterminding incredible Sheffield Wednesday set piece improvement
and live on Freeview channel 276
The Owls were time and again shown up to be weak in that department in the 2021/22 campaign, conceding 19 times from set pieces across a league campaign that ended in play-off heartbreak, five points shy of the automatic promotion places.
It was an area opposition teams targeted and that took up a great deal of Darren Moore’s energy, both on the training ground and in post-match media engagements.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThis time out is a different story. Wednesday have so far conceded only five goals from set plays in a defensive effort not bettered by a single EFL team.
Much has been made of the personnel changes in the Owls changing room, not least in terms of the additions of the likes of aerial destroyers Ben Heneghan, Michael Ihiekwe, Mark McGuinness and more recently Aden Flint.
But there is another man to have made a marked impact; first team coach Simon Ireland, who was handed the somewhat poisoned chalice of correcting the set piece puzzle at Wednesday – both in terms of scoring more goals and conceding far fewer. He has managed on both fronts.
A clever training ground routine almost bore fruit in Saturday’s win over Peterborough when Josh Windass’ peel-off and shot left the crossbar trembling.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“He’s been magnificent,” Owls boss Darren Moore told The Star. “The set pieces is an area that’s a full-time process both for and against. Simon has taken up the baton there.
“He is someone I have known for a long, long time. He’s someone that is a workaholic, he’s so detailed and he really understands the game. He sees things in games that he’ll mention to me that I might not have considered and I’ll often think ‘Yeah, he’s got a good point there.’
“His understanding of the game is really good and he has that job [set pieces] but also on the training ground and on match days he is a valuable member and I am so pleased to have been able to bring him to the football club.
“I’m really pleased with him and long may his work continue.”