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Sheffield Wednesday will be hoping for a positive FA Cup run this season after a disappointing first-round exit last time around, having lost 3-0 in their replay away at Plymouth Argyle following a 0-0 draw on home turf.
They have certainly started in more pleasing fashion on the whole than they did last season, though, with the Owls establishing a bid for promotion with 34 points from their opening 17 matches in League One.
One of their 10 third-tier victories thus far came away at Friday’s opponents last month, as Josh Windass, George Byers and Michael Smith all got on the scoresheet in the final 20 minutes of a 3-0 triumph.
Following a narrow loss away at Plymouth at the beginning of October, the Owls now come into their cup tie in a six-game unbeaten run which has seen them move back within two points of the top two, most recently bouncing back from consecutive draws with a 4-2 win over Burton Albion last weekend courtesy of goals from Barry Bannan, Smith, Mallik Wilks and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
Darren Moore‘s side will now turn their attention to the domestic cup and look to put up another victory over Morecambe to book their place in the second round.
Morecambe begin their Emirates FA Cup campaign on Friday night as they travel to Hillsborough to face Sheffield Wednesday in the first round.
The Shrimps reached the third round of the competition last season, thanks to wins against Newport and Buxton, before a memorable third round tie at Tottenham Hotspur, where they were knocked out in a 3-1 defeat.
Derek Adams side come into this game following the midweek draw with Derby County on Tuesday night, where Connor Ripley made two penalty saves to help earn his side a point.
Sheffield Wednesday were knocked out of the FA Cup in the first round last season after a 3-0 defeat to Plymouth in a replay. The Owls last outing was a 4-2 win against Burton Albion on Saturday in Sky Bet League One, which saw Darren Moore’s men climb to third in the table.
The Opposition
Sheffield Wednesday currently have ten wins, four draws and three defeats after 17 league games, and sit three points off of the automatic promotion places.
The Owls are three-time FA Cup winners and were crowned champions in 1896, 1907 and 1935. Their most recent FA Cup triumph was in the 1935 Final, when they beat West Brom by four goals to two in front of 93,000 at Wembley.
Wednesday are managed by Darren Moore who began his managerial career with West Brom in 2018. The 48-year-old took caretaker charge of the Baggies following the dismissal of Alan Pardew. Moore was relieved of his duties by West Brom in March 2019 and joined Doncaster Rovers where he stayed for two years before he was appointed Sheffield Wednesday manager in March 2021.
Key Players
Midfielder Barry Bannan has been at the centre of the Owls success in front of goal this season. The Scotsman has racked up four goals and five assists so far in the current campaign. Bannan put in a man of the match performance at the weekend when he scored a goal and got an assist for his side against Burton. The midfielder will make his 300th league appearance next weekend if he features in Wednesday’s clash with Accrington Stanley on 12 November.
The Owls also have experienced striker Lee Gregory in their ranks. Like Bannan, Gregory has four league goals so far this season. The 34-year-old spent time at Mansfield and Halifax before he joined Millwall in 2014 where he stayed for five years scoring 64 goals in 204 appearances at The Den. Since leaving London, Gregory spent time at Stoke and Derby before moving to Sheffield in 2021.
Winger Mallik Wilks has provided plenty of creativity for Darren Moore’s side this season. Wilks has three assists so far and scored his first goal of the season against Burton at the weekend. Despite being 23-years-old, the winger can also play as a striker and already has plenty of experience in the EFL. The Leeds-born attacker spent time with Accrington, Grimsby and Doncaster before permanently signing for Barnsley in 2019. Wilks then spent two years with Hull before joining Wednesday in the summer.
Team News
Donald Love will be back in contention for selection after serving a one match suspension for picking up his fifth booking of the season against Wycombe.
The Shrimps are without Ash Hunter and Courtney Duffus for the long-term, while Max Melbourne and Jake Taylor are close to a return but will not be available on Friday.
Meet The Officials
Sunny Gill will take charge of Friday night’s game and will be assisted by Ian Smedley and Thomas Harty with Michael Barlow appointed as the fourth official.
Gill is currently refereeing his first season in the EFL and has taken charge of 13 games so far, seven in League Two, four in the Papa John’s Trophy and two in League One.
The official made history at the start of this season when he became the first South Asian referee to be promoted to the EFL since his Dad, Jarnail, in 2010. Friday night will be the first time Gill has refereed a Shrimps game.
Derek Adams’s side make the trip to Hillsborough on the back of arguably their most pleasing run of the league campaign thus far, having at least managed five points from four games in a tough run of fixtures, firstly beating Barnsley 1-0 before losing by the same scoreline away at Cheltenham Town.
After sharing the points away at Wycombe Wanderers in the following encounter, Morecambe most recently took on Derby County on Tuesday and played out a second straight 1-1 draw to take a creditable point, with Jensen Weir’s opener on the stroke of half time cancelled out by a Louie Sibley equaliser on the hour mark.
While they still have plenty of work to do to improve their chances of surviving the drop in England’s third tier this season, Adams’s side will now turn their focus elsewhere this weekend and look to build momentum with a cup triumph on South Yorkshire.
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Team News
Preview: Sheff Weds vs. Morecambe – prediction, team news, lineups
A break from league action could give Darren Moore the chance to rotate his strong Sheffield Wednesday squad, with Cameron Dawson expected to get an opportunity to start in goal while Nottingham Forest loanee Alex Mighten could come into an advanced role.
With an abundance of quality up front, several key men may be rested, with Callum Paterson likely to lead the line alongside Mallik Wilks, who will look to build more positive form after netting his first league goal for the Owls last time out following a summer switch from Hull City.
Captain Barry Bannan is also likely to sit out with a trip to Southampton in the EFL Cup looming, meaning Tyreeq Bakinson could play alongside Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Will Vaulks in the engine room, while Dominic Iorfa and Mark McGuinness should again partner up in defence in the absence of the likes of Ben Heneghan, who will miss a large portion of the season through injury.
After leading their scoring charts with 23 League One goals last season, Morecambe striker Cole Stockton is yet to score in 15 appearances this term, and Friday’s game should see him come back in from the outset and attempt to rediscover his shooting boots.
It is Jensen Weir who has notched up the most goals for the Shrimps so far with five in 19 games, and he will continue to play an important role in midfield with Kieran Phillips also set to keep his place in the front line.
Weir should be joined in the engine room by Celtic loanee Liam Shaw, who is set to return to Hillsborough after leaving Sheffield Wednesday for the Scottish giants in 2021, while Anthony O’Connor, Jacob Bedeau and Ryan Delaney could again form a back three.
Sheffield Wednesday possible starting lineup:
Dawson; Hunt, Iorfa, McGuinness, Johnson; Bakinson, Vaulks, Dele-Bashiru; Wilks, Paterson, Mighten
Morecambe possible starting lineup:
Ripley; O’Connor, Bedeau, Delaney; Cooney, Weir, Shaw, Gibson; Watts; Phillips, Stockton