"This is why.." Impact of Sheffield Wednesday key man huge despite eight-game shutout

The former Chelsea youngster, brought in on loan from French club Troyes early on in the January transfer window, belted six goals in five matches and grabbed an assist in the seventh as Wednesday blitzed through February and into March. In a 14-game run from his signing, Wednesday did not win a game in which he hadn’t had a direct goal contribution, such was his importance.

Fast-forward to the present and Ugbo hasn’t scored in his last eight outings. But his impact has remained amid a shift in role for some of those matches after Wednesday tweaked their approach with target man Michael Smith stationed centrally. It’s the little moments that some don’t see that mean Ugbo continues as a vital cog in Danny Röhl’s Owls machine.

“In the last matchdays he played more as a winger, where against Blackburn I brought him a little bit more central,” Röhl told The Star. “I think that was helpful and was the reason why when Will (Vaulks) won the ball (for the second goal) he was in the red zone and was able to turn on the ball and carry, it was helpful.

“Ike has a good intensity in the sprint. When you look back at the goal from Josh (Windass), Ike was the guy who runs and was the first pressing player who forced them into the first mistake then it was Musaba that forced the second mistake. This is why we won the ball high up.”

Wednesday take on West Bromwich Albion on Saturday hoping to rise through the table again having stepped out of the relegation zone with last weekend’s win at Blackburn Rovers. Ugbo is again expected to play a key part and his manager has no qualms over his slow-up in front of goal.

Röhl continued: “Of course one the one hand you always look to a striker for the goals, but also I see how we invest as a striker for your teammates. It's important when you start the pressing that you have a striker who can accelerate and really go in the pressing. He has done a good job and I believe that when you work hard you can score again. Hopefully we will find this moment on Saturday.”