‘Taking them home’ - Akin Famewo talks Sheffield Wednesday, left back and Championship ‘big hitters’

Whether at centre back or to the left of the backline, both Xisco and Danny Röhl have both called upon the 25-year-old to take on some of the division’s best attacking players, and after a couple of strong results against Leicester City and Blackburn Rovers there is a growing confidence both from him and the team as a collective.

The position of left back isn’t an unfamiliar one for the former Charlton Athletic man, but it is one that he’s had to work on having not played there for quite a while – the trust shown in him this season, he says, has helped him make progress there.

Speaking to the Star, the defender said, “It’s been a massive thing for me, because I think it’s good to play different positions and give a good account of yourself. And honestly, I’ve been really enjoying it at left back - it’s been a different challenge for me, and there are some big hitters in this league, so I’ve been going up against some great wingers. I’ve been really enjoying it, and I hope that I’ve shown on the pitch that I’m hard-working and that I can play and fight for my own. I feel like I have been.

“It’s nice having Chris here, he’s done it all before at the top, so it’s been great. He’s been a great addition, I was very happy to find out that he was coming, and I’ve been picking his brains and trying to learn from him.”

And Famewo, a man eager to learn and improve himself, is thankful for the detail supplied by the new man and his technical team. He takes work home with him on a regular basis, citing a desire to gain every advantage on a matchday.

He went on to say, “The manager has been giving me individual videos, and I’ve been taking them home, doing some individual studying so that I can really give myself the best opportunity that I can possibly have when it comes to games.

“I’ve been really appreciative of the time that they go into for everything, for everyone. For all the details. We all want to get better as a team and as individuals, and it’s great that we can do that together.”

Wednesday are yet to win back-to-back games so far this season, a stat that they need to change if they’re going to force their way out of the bottom three, but after picking up four points against Leicester and Blackburn they head to Stoke City this weekend with an increasing belief that a great escape can be achieved.

The Potters have lost their last three, and are winless in five, and if the Owls can do it on a cold afternoon in Stoke then all of a sudden the bottom of the Championship table may not look quite as daunting at Hillsborough.