Preview: Owls v Charlton

Wednesday boss Brian Laws will be looking for an instant response from his troops as they look to climb out of the Championship drop zone with three points against Charlton Athletic.

Laws watched his side fall to another lacklustre defeat at the hands of play-off hopefuls Bristol City at the weekend, putting them in the bottom three with Preston find their way out thanks to their improved form.

The Owls sped in to a 2-0 lead in the return fixture at the Valley, but spectacularly collapsed to a 3-1 defeat earlier in the season.

And Laws and company will need a more solid display from their troops on Tuesday night if they're to brush aside Alan Pardew's promotion hunting Addicks.

Lee Bullen told the Sheffield Star:

'The fans are going to be frustrated; we have to be big enough to want the ball.

'We have the players to do it. We have to believe we can do it. At the moment, we're not proving that. The league doesn't lie. We deserve to be where we are.

'But there are 16 games to go.

'There's no lack of effort; we're coming off the field tired. We're tentative; you take an extra second to make a decision and by the time you make it, it can be the wrong one.'

Greg Halford told the official CAFC site:

'If we can go on a five, six or seven-game unbeaten run, we'll be right up there and hopefully get that automatic promotion spot.

'They [Sheffield Wednesday] are fighting for their lives, and they'll be looking for the three points to get their fans behind them.

'I don't know too much about them, but although they've got some good footballers in their team I feel it could be a scrappy game.'

Enoch Showunmi will return to the Owls' fold after he was unavailable for selection against parent club Bristol City at the weekend.

Deon Burton is likely to get the chop in the Wednesday attack, allowing Showumni to partner Marcus Tudgay in attack, with Laws unlikely to get a new striker in before the clash.

Tommy Spurr is also likely to return at left-back, taking the place of Peter Gilbert, after the youngster was suspended for the trip to Ashton Gate.

Loan signing Adam Bolder is set to make his Hillsborough debut alongside Graham Kavanagh, while Wade Small could well continue on the right wing after Jermaine Johnson was given compassionate leave.

Centre-back Richard Wood could well return to the starting line-up after returning off the bench on Saturday following three months on the sidelines.

Loan signing Bolder is set to make his Hillsborough debut, and Owls fans will be keen to see if the QPR club captain can help steer the Owls in the right direction alongside Graham Kavanagh in the centre of midfield.

Addicks boss Alan Pardew is unlikely to make any changes following Charlton's impressive performance against in-form Crystal Palace on Friday night.

Former Sheffield United man Andy Gray is likely to return to haunt Wednesday, partnering former Crewe man Luke Varney, who bagged two goals last weekend, in the Charlton attack.

Pardew bolstered his squad with loan signings Greg Halford and Lee Cook in January, but the latter is unlikely to be fit enough to feature on Tuesday night.

The former Sheffield United striker is sure to be keen to get one over on his former rivals, and is sure to cause chaos in the Wednesday defence following his move to Charlton from Burnley recently.

Head-To-Head:

Wednesday wins: 16
Charlton wins: 15
Draws: 9

Last Time Out:

Charlton 3-2 Wednesday

The Valley, Saturday 25 August 2007

Wednesday threw away a 2-0 advantage over the Addicks to fall to another defeat as they continued their losing start to the season. Tommy Spurr and Burton O'Brien bagged the Wednesday goal before strikes from Andy Reid and a Chris Iwelumo double sealed it for the hosts.

Form Guide:

Wednesday: L-L-L-D-W

Charlton: W-L-W-D-D

Previous Line-Ups:

Wednesday: Grant, Bullen, Hinds (Wood 85), Beevers, Gilbert, Small, Kavanagh, Bolder, O'Brien (McAllister 46), Tudgay (Boden 82), Burton. Subs Not Used: Burch, Wallwork.

Charlton: Weaver, Halford, Bougherra, McCarthy, Youga, Sam, Zhi, Holland, Ambrose (Semedo 84), Gray (Iwelumo 84), Varney (McLeod 90). Subs Not Used: Elliot, Basey.

v Coventry City (H) - 19/02/08

v Cardiff City (H) - 23/02/08

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