No joy as Gareth draws a blank
THE day did not quite work out as planned for Gareth Southgate – or Sheffield Wednesday’s Kosovan striker Atdhe Nuhiu.
Paying his first visit to Hillsborough as England manager, Southgate must have known it was not going to be his day when centre-half Alfie Mawson pulled up in the warm-up with a knee problem and was forced to miss this tie.
It left him with just Swansea’s Tammy Abraham to run the rule over, three months after handing the 20-year-old his first cap against Germany.
But Abraham hardly enhanced his World Cup prospects, finding the Owls defence as awkward as Premier League backlines in recent months.
As for Nuhiu, he was left frustrated as much for historic reasons as footballing ones as he hoped to mark a special anniversary with the winner. “Today was the 10th anniversary of
SHEFF WED SWANSEA
Kosovo,” he said. “It’s a big thing for us. It became a new country on February 17, 2008 and there are big celebrations in the capital Pristina.
“Unfortunately, I couldn’t score to make it even nicer but it was a good performance.”
It ensured another reunion tomorrow week for Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal with his former club.
He remains popular in these parts and halfan-hour after the final whistle was applauded by fans who had stayed pitchside to thank him.
And for one long-time Owls fan, he made it a 73rd birthday to remember as the two hugged warmly.
Carvalhal said: “It was emotional to come back after just eight weeks. I must thank the fans for the way they received me. At the end it nearly made me cry seeing one whose birthday it was.”