Jamal Lowe ended Sheffield Wednesday’s seven-week wait for a goal against Millwall at Hillsborough on Saturday.
Manager Henrik Pedersen has hinted he will persevere with Jamal Lowe as an out-and-out striker after he ended his and Sheffield Wednesday’s goal droughts against Millwall last weekend.
The former Swansea City man scored his first goal since October to open the scoring with an hour on the clock, capitalising on a mistake by Lions goalkeeper Max Crocombe to tuck away Wednesday’s first goal since Boxing Day.
Lowe reacted quickest to Crocombe fumbling Charlie McNeill’s effort from the edge of the penalty area to gobble up the rebound and give Wednesday a rare moment to enjoy. It also marked his first goal at Hillsborough since he scored on his debut against Plymouth Argyle on the opening day of last season.
Although he has faced plenty of criticism from some supporters this season, Lowe has been a regular starter for the Owls this term amid a lack of alternative attacking options. The visit of Millwall marked his 25th league start of the campaign and also maintained his record of featuring in every Championship fixture.
Many questions have been asked about what Pedersen considers as Lowe’s best position amid his profile as a versatile attacker capable of playing through the middle or out wide, but the Dane has suggested his performance against Millwall provided clear evidence that he does have the ability to lead Wednesday’s attack.
“I think it was one of Jamal’s better games, and he was a striker today; he was not a ten in his mindset,” Pedersen told The Star. “We have spoken a lot about if we want to create something, we need a striker, our No.9, in the box.
“Today he had a lot of good positions where he was in the middle of the pitch and where he was ready to break the line when we came around. So big respect for his defensive work, but also for his discipline and for his offensive position.
“Yes, it was nice to see Jamal as a striker.”
Asked if Lowe could continue to play at the tip of Wednesday’s attack, Pedersen added: “Let’s see when we’re making the game plan, but normally when a nine is scoring a goal, it’s a good signal that he can play there again.”
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