Sheffield Wednesday came agonisingly close to winning their first game at Hillsborough this season as they drew 1-1 with Leicester City.
The Owls took an early lead through in-form striker Jerry Yates. They kept their lead thanks to some magnificent saves by young Pierce Charles in both halves.
Wednesday could, and probably should, have gone two up. However, captain Liam Palmer fired wide of the goal.
Despite it being two points dropped for Henrik Pedersen, he will likely be pleased with two players who stood out in the Easter sun.
Charles and defender Gabriel Otegabyo once again caught the eye. The pair look like a duo that the new Owls ownership could build the team around, should they stay at the club this summer.
Charles Matches His Own Record
Everybody knows the talents that Charles has with his feet, but on Easter Monday, he reminded everyone he is just as good with his hands.
The Northern Ireland international made 11 saves in total against Leicester City. That figure is the most in the Championship since, well, when Wednesday played the Foxes on the first day of the season, where he made 11 again.
11 – The most saves by a goalkeeper in a Championship match this season:
11 – Pierce Charles vs Leicester City in August
11 – Pierce Charles vs Leicester City today
Heroics. pic.twitter.com/mcrsqcUfn2
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 6, 2026
The best of them all was a double save in the 72nd minute, with the score still 1-0 to Wednesday. Charles kept out Stephy Mavididi and then Ricardo Pereira, both from close range, before gathering the ball at the feet of others.
This double save was incredible. Starting to run out of superlatives to describe how good Pierce Charles actually is. pic.twitter.com/C565IM1tMI
— The Wednesday ’Til I Die Podcast (@WTIDPOD) April 6, 2026
His performance received a 7.5 from Sofascore, a score that seems low given the saves he made.
Charles was a wanted man last season, on the back of a handful of games in the Championship. Given the performances he’s had this season, Wednesday will likely be preparing themselves for more bids, with former boss Danny Rohl said to be keen on bringing him to Rangers this summer.
Should they decide to cash in, a figure of £5million+ should be expected at the very least. Unless David Storch and co can convince him to be their number one and help guide them back to the Championship.
Otegbayo Continues Impressive Development
After some appearances last season, Otegbayo looked for a key role after the departures last summer. It’s fair to say his season didn’t start the best, but in the last few months, he has been excellent.
The 21-year-old played both games over the Easter weekend, and one thing was clear – he has to play in the middle of the three.
He was in between Max Lowe and Dominic Iorfa against the Foxes, barely missing a ball that came his way.
Otegbayo had 19 defensive contributions on Monday, which included 15 clearances. Whenever a ball came into the box, he was there, challenging the attacker.
Not only that, but he was assured on the ball. He finished the game with a pass accuracy of 87%, always being an option for the short ball from Charles when needed.
Some fans still aren’t convinced, but next season, he should be a player that Wednesday build the defensive line around.
Josh Stedman
Josh is the Deputy Editor and Sheffield Wednesday writer for Vital Football. He graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a masters in Sports Journalism and has five years sports writing experience. He’s worked for GiveMeSport, The Deck, Football League World, and Sporting Blog, and has a particular interest in South…