Wednesday completed the week’s pre-season training camp with a goalless ‘closed doors’ friendly against Leicester City at Loughborough University Stadium on Saturday lunchtime.
Both sides made several changes at half-time and in the second period, with Wednesday giving runouts to a cluster of youngsters during that time, in a match played in cold and blustery conditions.
Leicester, with former Owls youth player and Wednesdayite Jamie Vardy up front, started the livelier side but we missed two great chances within three minutes to take the lead.
First, the unmarked Dominic Iorfa headed over from six yards out after an excellent Izzy Brown free kick on 10 minutes and then Adam Reach failed to connect with a diving header from Barry Bannan’s pinpoint cross, the player again left free in the box.
At the other end, Cameron Dawson did well to save at point-blank range from Vardy‘s close-in effort on 17 minutes.
With the teams making wholesale changes at the break, Leicester missed a great chance to go ahead after the restart, Kelecho Iheanacho leaving Wednesday players trailing in a surging run but dragging his shot wide when he might have crossed for the unmarked Harvey Barnes to tap home.
Demarai Gray shot wide and Charles Hagan did likewise for Wednesday when he really have scored on 73 minutes, clipping Connor Grant’s through ball across keeper Danny Ward but also past the far post.
Soon afterwards, Joe Wildsmith’s outstretched leg denied Gray at the other end and we took the draw against Premier League opposition.
Wednesday (first half): Dawson, Van Aken, Lees, Iorfa, Palmer, Harris, Bannan, Luongo, Brown, Reach, Rhodes.
Wednesday (second half): Wildsmith, Penney, Borner, Shaw, Iorfa, Odubajo, Hunt, Pelupessy, Dele-Bashiru. Reach, Rhodes. Subs: Hagan for Rhodes (61 minutes); Brennan for Iorfa, Grant for Reach (68 minutes).