Sheffield Wednesday: Striker salutes experienced Owls goalie

But Lewis Price excelled in between the sticks after replacing the injured Keiren Westwood at Birmingham City last weekend.

Gary Hooper may have hogged the headlines following his second half in Wednesday’s come-from-behind win, but Price, third-choice in the pecking order for a starting berth behind Westwood and academy starlet Joe Wildsmith, made a telling contribution in the away success.

The 31-year-old, snapped up on a free transfer following his release by Crystal Palace last summer, came to the Owls’ rescue, pulling off two key saves to deny Clayton Donaldson.

In tricky conditions, Price’s handling was excellent and he commanded his area with authority.

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It was just Price’s seventh appearance in Owls colours.

Giant forward Atdhe Nuhiu, who was instrumental in the Owls’ late fightback, has told The Star: “Lewis made some very good saves. He came from a Premier League club so you expect that from him.

“He is an experienced goalkeeper. You can wake him up at 3am, put him in goal and he will perform. That’s why he has been in the business a long time.

“Lewis had a brilliant game and I think everyone knows you can close your eyes and put him in goal.”

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Nuhiu led the celebrations at the final whistle after helping Wednesday move back into the Championship’s play-off zone and close the gap on the top two.

“It’s always nice when you win,” he admitted. “When you lose, everyone is sad.

“We enjoyed the moment but we must keep going.

“We are focusing on each game and what the manager tells us to do.

“We have been confident all season long and it is a nice feeling being up there going into the final 16 games. We have to stay focused to achieve our goals.”

Striker George Hirst, the son of Owls legend David, is expected to be involved in the England Under-17s clash with the Netherlands in the final match of the Algarve tournament today. Hirst bagged a brace against Germany on Sunday.

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