Following their promotion back to the Championship at the end of last season, after two years in League One, the Owls had endured a difficult start to life back in the second-tier of English football.
In the wake of the unexpected departure of manager Darren Moore in the summer, Xisco Munoz was appointed to take charge of first-team affairs.
However, the Spaniard lasted just ten league games, failing to win any of those, before being sacked and replaced by Danny Rohl.
After two defeats in his first two games in charge, Rohl finally got off the mark in the Hillsborough dugout on Sunday, guiding his new side to a 2-0 Yorkshire derby victory over Rotherham United.
Despite that win first win of the season, Wednesday do still remain rooted to the foot of the Championship table as things stand.
Even so, that long awaited league win for the Owls does give them something to build on in the battle to avoid relegation, not just because of the three points it has given them, but also due to who it was to score those all important goals in that victory over Matt Taylor’s side.
Who was key for Sheffield Wednesday against Rotherham?
The man who made the most telling impact for the Owls in that win over Rotherham on Sunday afternoon, was Michael Smith.
Just 11 minutes into the game, it was Smith who opened the scoring, as he ensured he was in the right place at the right time to fire home Anthony Musaba’s pull-back at the second attempt.
Then, with around ten minutes of normal time in the first half remaining, the 32-year-old got his and Wednesday’s second of the game to give them what proved to be an unassailable advantage in the match.
That came when he again clinically fired home after the ball fell kindly to him inside the Rotherham penalty area.
Given the way things have gone for Wednesday this season, the fact it was Smith himself who got the goals that sealed a first league win of the season feels particularly significant for the club, as they look to avoid a swift return to League One this season.
Why is Smith’s contribution for Wednesday against Rotherham significant?
Going into the season, one big concern for Sheffield Wednesday appeared to be their lack of depth at centre forward, as they looked for the goals that would keep them in the division.
That was a concern that had been justified in the early stages of the campaign, with the Owls finding the net just five times in the 13 Championship games they played prior to that win over Rotherham.
Indeed, with his double in that victory on Saturday, Smith now has three league goals to his name this season, making him the only Owls player to have scored more than once this season.
As a result, this now has the potential to be a significant boost for Wednesday beyond the three points, given their potential goalscorer for this season may now have emerged.
The confidence that Smith ought to have gained from his match-winning double against the Millers, should see him get in those positions from where he scored even more often, while his teammates ought to know that is an outlet they can exploit in this setup played under Rohl.
Should that be the case, then that ability to take those chances that Smith showed in that win over Rotherham, could prove vital in producing the upturn in goals that the Owls are going to need if they are to have a chance of avoiding relegation.
Indeed, with Smith having been Wednesday’s top scorer as they secured their promotion last season, he can certainly cope with the pressure and expectation of standing up to be counted for Wednesday, once he gets into form.
So with that in mind, it seems the double scored by Smith to potentially get his own season going on Sunday, may yet go on to prove so much important for Wednesday over the rest of the campaign, than simply for the three points it brought that them for that first win of the season.
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