Garry Monk was full of praise for his Wednesday players, despite the disappointment of an added time equaliser from QPR in today’s 1-1 home draw,
Having lost key players Dominic Iorfa and Izzy Brown from the starting line-up due to hamstring and knee injuries respectively, Monk saw Liam Shaw limp off soon after the start. Shaw’s replacement, Liam Palmer, was subbed at half time with a back injury and then the team were reduced to 10 men for the closing minutes, Tom Lees having to leave the field with a thigh problem.
Monk pointed to the disruption this had all caused to his game plans, not least with that Rangers equaliser, but the Owls boss said: “I was delighted with the players today in terms of they couldn’t have given any more.
“I told them afterwards that if we continue with that spirit, fight and commitment then we will be able to get to where we need to get to.”
Monk said the equaliser came from a cross which we would normally have had a player pressing to prevent, if we had still had 11 men on the pitch, and, in addition, that the headed equaliser came from just where Lees would have been, had he still been on the pitch.
He said: “In the first half, we didn’t get to grips with their shape too well but we corrected it at half time. In the second half, we were much better and got ourselves in the lead.
“Then we had a glorious chance from Massimo and also had that Reachy shot saved by the keeper. They are the fine margins, that rub of the green that you need and I think we deserved it.”
Alex Hunt was another pre-match casualty due to sickness.