Ricardo Santos makes Sheffield Wednesday point as Wigan frustrate League One leaders

Almost three months have elapsed since Ricardo Santos became the first signing of the Arise Capital Partner era.

Ricardo Santos started vs Wigan. Image: Alex Young

It was not a sexy buy but a necessary one. Santos, a big, strong, imposing figure, boasts a wealth of experience and has a strong record of performing in the upper reaches of League One.

“He has the physical profile to cope with the demands of this division - pace, strength and aerial presence - while also possessing the technical quality to contribute in possession,” said sporting director Simon Wilson after Wednesday signed the towering centre-back for an undisclosed fee from Swansea City.

Injuries limited Santos to just one appearance for the Swans - and he has endured a frustrating start to life at Hillsborough. A minor knock sustained in the Bromley demolition job kept the Cape Verde international out of their away wins at Wycombe Wanderers and Peterborough United.

But Santos made a welcome return to action against League One strugglers Wigan Athletic. Gabriel Otegbayo made way for the experienced centre-back, dropping to the bench. It was not a big surprise Henrik Pedersen opted to take Otegbayo out of the firing line. Otegbayo has struggled for consistency since breaking into the first team set up, making a string of high-profile errors leading to goals.

Mistakes happen and it’s how quickly Otegbayo learns from them that will define his Wednesday career. Like all young players, he must be given the time and space to grow at his own pace. It’s a squad game and Pedersen will have been delighted with the attitude Otegbayo showed when he was introduced in the final quarter of an engaging contest. His brave late block saved Wednesday a point.

Santos’ inclusion, meanwhile, saw him reunited with Liam Cooper at the heart of Wednesday’s rearguard. It took the big defender less than a minute to make his presence felt, shoving Sonny Perkins to the ground as the Wigan striker tried to latch on to a ball down the right-hand channel. A huge cheer reverberated around three sides of Hillsborough after Santos’ perfectly legal shoulder barge as the ball drifted harmlessly out for a goal kick. He’s a big unit and it was a passage of play that underlined his power and strength in physical duels.

Santos and Cooper, passed fit to start after recovering from the facial injury he suffered in the battling win at Peterborough United, had their fair share of defending to do in an open, entertaining first half. Given their early season struggles, it would have been easy for Wigan manager Gary Caldwell to set his team up in a low block and to look to play on the counter attack but his players attempted to take the game to Wednesday. They gave as good as they got and the Santos-Cooper pairing were tested. It took some desperate last-ditch defending to prevent Wigan from getting on the scoresheet. Their leadership and organisational skills at the back will be pivotal in Wednesday’s promotion quest.

It was important for Santos to get minutes under his belt and put in a solid showing. Competition for places is set to hot up at centre-back, with Sil Swinkels and Di’Shon Bernard edging closer to first team returns. Santos, making just his second league start, underlined his worth, producing a superb block to thwart Jenson Weir from close range after the restart as Wigan enjoyed a good spell of pressure.

Pedersen emptied his bench in search of attacking inspiration, but Wednesday lacked cohesion and ideas in the final third. Oh, how they could have done with Louie Barry’s creativity to break down a stubborn, well-drilled Wigan outfit.

Although it was a frustrating afternoon, Pedersen can take some comfort from seeing Wednesday record their first league clean sheet. It will have to be the first of many if they are to achieve their objectives.

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