Newly appointed Sheffield Wednesday head coach Dave Challinor was in the stands as the Owls drew 1-1 with Blackpool under the watchful eye of interim boss Matt Hamshaw.

Challinor has now officially been appointed as the man to take Wednesday into a new era following the sacking of Henrik Pedersen, and he will have seen some positives for sure.

After watching his first game after agreeing to take over the reins, Challinor will now have a firm grasp on what he needs to change at the football club, and we’ve looked at some of the takeaways the new boss will take into his first week.

Davis Keillor-Dunn and Mason Burstow shine

Wednesday started well against Blackpool, playing on the front foot for the first half an hour. Keillor-Dunn demonstrated his clinical instincts by pouncing on a misplaced Leighton Clarkson pass driving through the middle and scoring from range.

Alongside Mason Burstow in attack, Keillor-Dunn gave a glimpse of what a high-tempo pressing front two can achieve. Burstow’s relentless off-the-ball work rate consistently troubled Blackpool’s back line.

Temperament and defensive discipline require urgent attention

The turning point came when Sil Swinkels was sent off five minutes before half time. A simple long ball over the top caught out the Wednesday defensive unit, and after bundling over the Tangerines’ forward, referee Simon Mather had no option but to show him a red card.

Challinor’s teams at Stockport and Hartlepool were build on stern organisation and avoiding unforced errors. Eliminating defensive lapses and managing high-line risks will be the top priorities on the Middlewood Road training pitches.

Barry Bannan’s central role will remain

The Wednesday captain has been operating alongside Jaden Heskey in central midfield, and he put in a mammoth shift against Blackpool before and after the dismissal.

Bannan threw himself in the front of a number of shots in the second half and was also the main ball carrier when Wednesday managed to break forward.

Challinor favours a 3-5-2 or 3-4-2-1 structure with energetic wing-backs like Yan Valery and Max Lowe likely to be prominent in that system.

Managing Bannan’s game time and his physical workload in a pressing system will be vital to preserving his output when the busy winter schedule hits.

Jerry Yates provided heartbreak for Wednesday on Sunday, but Challinor will see enough in the squad to know that he has the potential to enjoy a really positive season at Hillsborough in 2026/27.