Sheffield Wednesday player rejuvenated by Danny Rohl could be difference in relegation battle: View | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Cameron Dawson has won back his starting place under Danny Rohl and impressed in recent weeks as the Owls look to mount an unlikely survival bid.

Under former boss Xisco Muñoz, Dawson played second fiddle to Colombian Devis Vásquez, who joined the Owls on loan from AC Milan in the summer. Vásquez endured a pretty torrid time between the sticks for Wednesday, conceding 16 goals in just nine Championship appearances, and only keeping one clean sheet, which came away at Leeds United.

After a 1-0 loss to West Brom, the Colombian was dropped and old favourite Dawson was re-instated as number one.

Dawson started the 2022/23 campaign as second choice behind David Stockdale but managed to oust Stockdale and become Wednesday's first-choice as they lifted the play-off final trophy at Wembley against Barnsley in May.

The 28-year-old would obviously have felt aggrieved to have helped the club to the Championship and then dropped for a player on loan, but he's bounced back and been impressive recently for the Owls.

Cameron Dawson's form for Sheffield Wednesday this season

Dawson has been a mainstay in the Wednesday side since Danny Rohl's arrival and is quite clearly the German manager's number one.

He's already kept more clean sheets than Vásquez and has justified why he should be starting for the Owls each week. According to Sofascore, Dawson has made 27 saves this season, makes an average of 2.5 saves per game, has a 65% successful passing accuracy rate and averages a Sofascore rating of 6.98.

Wednesday have looked far more assured with Dawson between the sticks, and it may not be a coincidence that they've improved in recent weeks with the Sheffield-born goalie starting.

It's always been difficult for the Wednesday youth product to have a run of games for the club and despite signing a professional contract at Hillsborough over ten years, he's never really been able to keep the jersey for too long.

Since making his first-team debut for the Owls in 2016, he's only played 121 games for the club and has often had to play second fiddle to a range of goalkeepers. He spent the 2021/22 season on loan at Exeter City, playing 50 games for the Grecians as they gained promotion from League 2.

Wednesday fans will be hoping Dawson gets a much-deserved run of games from here on in as they bid to avoid the drop.

Sheffield Wednesday's survival chances

It's fair to say Wednesday's chances of survival are slim, but under Danny Rohl they look a far better outfit than they previously did under predecessor Muñoz.

The club have moved off the bottom of the table in recent times and there's a clear direction and identity of how Rohl wants his side to play now.

Their recent win away at Stoke City will have been a huge confidence booster and will give the players the belief that they can go away in the league and pick up points.

Regardless of whether the Owls stay up or not, they're certainly moving forward under their new manager, and he's at least given them a fighting chance.