The Owls take a break from League One action this weekend with a visit to Bloomfield Road to play in the F.A. Cup.

Wednesdayite.com match previewer Ricky Charlesworth previews the Owls v Blackpool F.A. Cup 4th Round tie which takes place at Bloomfield Road on Saturday 28th January 2012 with a 3pm kick off.

 

BLACKPOOL v WEDNESDAY PREVIEW
Saturday 29 January 2012
Bloomfield Road
3pm KO

LOWDOWN
Wednesday got back to winning ways midweek, thanks to a comfortable win against Scunthorpe, and this weekend sees the nice distraction of the FA Cup come into focus.

A trip to the seaside to face Pools shouldn’t be too daunting for the Owls though. Wednesday have won three of the last four trips to Bloomfield Road and with both sides likely to make several changes to their starting line-ups, the game is by no means a foregone conclusion.

Ian Holloway’s men are just a point of the Championship play-off zone after some impressive form so far this campaign. Winger Matt Phillips has been a key player for Pools since returning from a loan spell at the Blades, having hit a hat-trick in the last round at Fleetwood.

Gary Megson has said that the league is the bread and butter for Wednesday, but an extended cup run certainly wouldn’t be frowned upon by Owls fans.

TEAM NEWS
Wednesday could be down the bare bones for Saturday’s match. Miguel Llera and Mike Jones are cup-tied, Reda Johnson and Rob Jones face a race against time to be in the squad and with the recent departures of Giles Coke, Mark Reynolds and James O’Connor added in, it leaves a wafer-thin Owls squad.

Elsewhere, Julian Bennett could come into consideration after returning to training, whilst Daniel Jones’ injury on Tuesday night is not as serious as first thought. Stephen Bywater is likely to play his first cup tie for the Owls after being denied permission in the earlier rounds by former club Derby.

PROBABLE LINE-UP
Bywater;
Buxton, Beevers, Batth, Otsemobor;
J Johnson, Lines, Semedo, Palmer
O’Grady, Madine

LAST MEETING
Owls 0-0 Blackpool (August 2011) Wednesday went through to the second round of the League cup after a penalty shoot-out win at Hillsborough. Both sides fielded weakened teams in front of the sky cameras, with Wednesday eventually prevailing.

Up the Owls
Ricky. 

 
The views expressed in Wednesdayite.com match reports are those of the author and not necessarily the views of Wednesdayite, The Sheffield Wednesday Supporters Society Ltd, or anyone associated with the society.