SHOCKING BATTH TIME
NEW Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore searches for his first points today – but is wary of former Owls striker Lucas Joao coming back to haunt his old club.
Moore is in charge for his second game since swapping a promotion push from League One with Doncaster for a Championship relegation battle with Wednesday.
He lost his opening game in midweek against Rotherham and is hoping for better luck today to kick-start the Yorkshire
Championship: 3pm
STOKE boss Michael O’Neill has revealed the frenzied behind-the-scenes activity following defender Danny Batth’s horrific head injury.
The 30-year-old defender (right) may wear a headguard if it is decided he can play against bottom club Wycombe today.
Batth clashed heads with Swansea striker Andre club’s survival fight. But he is worried about Reading’s top scorer Joao (below, in his Owls days), who has hit 20 goals this season after leaving Hillsborough in 2019.
The Portuguese striker has helped to shoot the Royals into the play-off places, and Moore said: “Lucas is a
Ayew and O’Neill said: “It was a very deep cut – horrific. It was so deep he needed to go to A&E to have it seen by a specialist there rather than just let a doctor stitch it up. “It had gone down to the bone but was also quite wide.
“If he can be involved he could maybe wear some kind of head protection.” talented individual. We know him well here at the football club. He carries a threat, but there are a few of those. We have to neutralise their threats.
“The table doesn’t lie and they play good football with exciting players. We know it will be a difficult game, a different one to the one we faced the other night.
“It’s an exciting game. One that we’ll have to be very detailed in terms of the work off the ball and in possession.”
Wednesday are now seven points adrift from safety, and Moore (right) added: “We have got to battle for three points in every fixture.
“I don’t really want to go out and say, ‘We need this amount of points’. We will try to give our all for the points when they are available.” Reading have just completed back-to-back 1-0 wins over Rotherham and Blackburn, and their midweek match-winner against Rovers, George Puscas, is eyeing promotion.
The Romanian striker said: “Everything is possible for us.
“We have to take it stepby-step, game-by-game.
“There are 12 games left – that’s a lot of games – and first is against Wednesday.
“I don’t usually look at the league table, but I know the position we are in and I know that we can do better and improve.
“If we achieve big things at the end of the season, then we will deserve to look at the final table.
“I want to make sure we get as many wins as we can, and I want to get as many minutes as I can to help the team get those wins.”
POSTPONED