Owls vice-captain Liam Palmer started in the middle of midfield in Friday’s night’s edge-out by Leeds United and has become an important figure in their resurgence in the survival scrap, his dependable versatility allowing manager Danny Röhl to change his tactics at will. Wednesday sit just a point shy of the safety places heading into this weekend’s trip to promotion-chasing Ipswich Town.
Their second tier status was achieved in no small part last season due to Palmer, who picked up his second player of the season award for a stellar campaign in which he netted the goal that took their historic play-off semi-final against Peterborough United to extra-time before a solid performance in the Wembley final.
A lifelong Wednesdayite, Palmer believes that after a horrific start to the season that saw the club come through the ignominy of their worst-ever start to a league campaign, survival would outstrip even those scenes in terms of the size of the achievement.
“We always knew the task we had once we’d had that start,” he said. “We know the start was unacceptable. But with the change of manager and having shown what we’re capable of, it’s given us a real belief. Now more than ever it’s nice to play nice football and so the best we can. There will be times we have our backs against the wall and we have to stand up, no team will give us anything.
“It (the achievement of staying up) would be right up there. The accolades and everything that came with the play-offs and how that went down, winning at Wembley, these are memories that will last forever. It was a fantastic and memorable feeling, but when you actually look back at the hard work and everything it took to get us there, it would be a double-up to make sure we get ourselves in the division and stay up after the start we had. It would probably be the biggest achievement of my time here.”
