'If only' - why it could have been different for 55-match goal-shy SWFC striker Ugbo

Owls striker has not scored a league goal in 55 games

Ike Ugbo placed the ball on the penalty spot and stepped back towards the edge of the box.

The striker wiped the sweat from his face with his left arm as referee Robert Jones held the whistle out in front of him to indicate Ugbo must wait for it to be blown, while making sure no players were encroaching in the area. Meanwhile, Millwall fans in the top tier of the Leppings Lane end did their best to put him off.

Ugbo fiddled with his right boot and sock a split second before his run-up, which included a stutter at the midway point - a technique heavily criticised during this summer's World Cup, before his side-footed attempt went flying over the bar. The Canadian was left with his head in his hands and he dropped to the floor before being consoled, first by Barry Bannan and then Yan Valery.

Moments earlier, he had been handed the ball by his team-mates who were desperate for him to end his goal-drought. Those in the stands that day also remember willing him to score, but also not feeling particularly confident.

"I think there was a feeling with the players and inside the stadium that Ike was going to take it and of course hopefully score," then Owls boss Danny Rohl said at the time. "If he scored, everyone would have been talking about this great opportunity, the togetherness of the players and the fans."

It was a 'if only' moment. What if he had scored to put Wednesday 2-0 in front and end his goal drought? Would he have found his scoring boots? Instead, he has not scored a league goal for Sheffield Wednesday in 55 appearances. That run followed a £2.5m move from Troyes after scoring seven in 18 on loan.

His classy strike at Bolton in the Carabao Cup last season was the finish of an in-form forward and not someone struggling for confidence but it was an anomaly. He was booed by the home terraces after a lightweight performance in the Sheffield derby at Hillsborough. That felt like there was no way back, and it has proved that way so far.

Goal-droughts have happened to the best of strikers. Alan Shearer went 12 games without a goal for England. Big-money Premier League signings Fernando Torres and Diego Forlan had runs stretching into the 20s, while it took Peter Crouch 19 games to score his first Liverpool goal.

But there does not appear to be a situation where Ugbo starts firing again for Wednesday. The Star has reported all summer that all parties agree it is best that a fresh start is needed. What if?

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Orijinal haber: https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/if-only-why-it-could-have-been-different-for-55-match-goal-shy-sheffield-wednesday-striker-ike-ugbo-8824032