From scapegoat to skipper - the remarkable rise of Sheffield Wednesday's Adam Reach

That was Sheffield Wednesday manager Jos Luhukay after Tuesday night’s draw at Middlesbrough in which, for the first time, the team was led out at the Riverside by Adam Reach. On the face of it, that call doesn’t appear to be that important and given the injuries to senior players, there weren’t too many other options. However, symbolically it meant something. Reach arrived at Hillsborough with a hefty price tag weighing him down. Signed as a winger from Middlesbrough, he flitted between that role and a place at left back but never really excelled in either. At times he was made a scapegoat for poor performances by an inconsistent Owls side in the last campaign, with the reported £5million paid for him an expensive stick with which to beat the young player, who only turns 25 this weekend. Now, Reach is one of the most important players in the team. Certainly over the past couple of months, the quietly-spoken native of the North-East, who despite his seemingly slightly introverted nature always has plenty to say, has grown into a senior figure in this Sheffield Wednesday team. Reach has matured immensely as a footballer. The way in which he has grasped responsibility to make things happen on the pitch in difficult times, not least with hugely influential players missing through injury, has been of huge credit to him as a player. He’s gone through a great deal in his 18 months at Hillsborough and so when the captain’s armband was being handed out in midweek, there can surely have been no arguments. “That’s an honour to captain the team,” he said. “I don’t see myself as a loud, shouting-commands type of captain but I showed my energy and work-rate and maybe calmness at times. Any time you can put the armband on you want to repay the manager’s faith and I was delighted to do it. “I will also be delighted to give it back to Glenn when he comes back because I think he’s a great leader but it was nice.” “That’s the first time ever (at any club),” he added. “Hopefully not the last time and I thoroughly enjoyed it.” The 0-0 draw at Middlesbrough was the third league stalemate in a row under Luhukay, though three points from consecutive games against Sheffield United, Cardiff City and Boro is not a bad outcome. While there is a little negativity regarding the lack of goals, Reach believes there is a real sense that something strong is being built by Luhukay. The Owls have become defensively solid which a new formation, playing with three central defenders and while 0-0 draws hardly bellow with excitement, the attacking midfielder says he is thoroughly enjoying the challenge. “We came back here to the Riverside in the cup last season (losing 3-0) - not the best reult but I feel like ive grown since then,” he admits. “I feel a more accomplished player, a bigger part of the team so it was nice to come back. I enjoyed myself, I enjoy playing in this team but I am really enjoying what we are doing with this new system. We had a bad start to the season but I think we’ve shown real maturity and togetherness to say ‘lets roll our sleeves up and improve’.” Reach added: “(Luhukay) has not had time to drastically change anything. It’s the confidence that he’s brought in. He’s changed the system and I think that suits the players that we have available and we do have at the club. “The manager takes credit but the players needed to look at ourselves and say we need to improve on this, we need to get there that second earlier or that metre quicker and we have done that. It’s a good start and maybe we can now emphasise that attacking threat and we can start scoring more goals.”