First Sheffield Wednesday pre-season date confirmed with local friendly
The game – which is likely to feature Wednesday players mainly from the club’s under-21 ranks – will be played at Frickley Athletic’s Westfield Lane ground on the evening of Friday July 11. It serves as the latest meet of its type, with the young Owls having played friendly matches against the likes of Wakefield AFC and Ossett United in recent pre-seasons. Further fixtures are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
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Frickley play in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division and avoided relegation in a division that included the likes of Hallam FC, Handsworth and Penistone Church last season.
The senior Owls will announce their own pre-season plans in due course. Last season, Danny Röhl’s side engaged in two pre-season camps away from Sheffield – one at St George’s Park and one two-game mini-tour carried between Germany and Austria – and held one home friendly at Hillsborough which doubled as Liam Palmer’s testimonial. A tune-up friendly was also held at Alfreton Town as well as behind-closed-doors run-outs against Brighton & Hove Albion and Rotherham United.
Speculation continues on the direction of Röhl’s future but speaking in March, the German coach confirmed outline discussions had been held on pre-season plans.
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“Austria and Germany are two good places to be,” he told The Star. “I like to have the two pre-season camps. You have good facilities, you can come out and break a little bit, you do not have just one long one. Our friendly games were very helpful and I think it will be in the same direction with strong opponents, at the beginning a little bit more lower league.
“I think the set-up was well and now it is about having good facilities and some topics I will take with me. It is not for now it is for after the season – and you never know what could happen this season.”
