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Could there have been something symbolic about Mark Beevers’ header bouncing favourably off the post at Millwall on Saturday? Well, he certainly hopes so.
Goals, or lack of, had been the topic of discussion for some time among Wanderers fans before the big defender finally ended the drought at The Den – even among the back four.
It was the first time Beevers’ name had been on the scoresheet since March and the centre-half is keen to chip in on a more regular basis.
Beevers and his centre-half partner in crime David Wheater shared 17 between them as Phil Parkinson’s team was promoted from League One in 2016/17 – but last season, their flow of goals had slowed to a trickle.
Now, as he goes back to former club Sheffield Wednesday, the 29-year-old knows it is an area of his game he must improve.
“It’s something the manager has highlighted,” admitted the big defender. “It should be one of our strong points when you look at the size of our team, we should definitely be getting more, but hopefully the one at Millwall is the first of many.
“It’s obviously a step up in league and that speaks for itself but that isn’t an excuse, for me, because we have got a big team and we should be getting more – first and second phase – from set pieces. We know that and we’re working hard on it.
“We haven’t changed anything since League One, maybe it is the rub of the green, but after watching my header bounce off the post hopefully the luck will change.”
Parkinson is of the same view. While the spotlight has been turned on his strikers for struggling to get among the goals of late, he argues the set piece threat once posed by his team has lost some potency.
“Well done to Beevs for getting on the end of that goal but we expect our centre-halves to get on the end of things,” the manager said. “We haven’t done that as much as we should.
“Wheats, in fairness, has been a little bit unlucky. He’s had a couple of goal-bound efforts blocked, had a few things cleared off the line.
“But it’s something we have got to rediscover in our game. Mark has to put that onus on himself – he scored one and put another great header across goal. He’s well capable.”
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Goals, or lack of, had been the topic of discussion for some time among Wanderers fans before the big defender finally ended the drought at The Den – even among the back four.
It was the first time Beevers’ name had been on the scoresheet since March and the centre-half is keen to chip in on a more regular basis.
Beevers and his centre-half partner in crime David Wheater shared 17 between them as Phil Parkinson’s team was promoted from League One in 2016/17 – but last season, their flow of goals had slowed to a trickle.
Now, as he goes back to former club Sheffield Wednesday, the 29-year-old knows it is an area of his game he must improve.
“It’s something the manager has highlighted,” admitted the big defender. “It should be one of our strong points when you look at the size of our team, we should definitely be getting more, but hopefully the one at Millwall is the first of many.
“It’s obviously a step up in league and that speaks for itself but that isn’t an excuse, for me, because we have got a big team and we should be getting more – first and second phase – from set pieces. We know that and we’re working hard on it.
“We haven’t changed anything since League One, maybe it is the rub of the green, but after watching my header bounce off the post hopefully the luck will change.”
Parkinson is of the same view. While the spotlight has been turned on his strikers for struggling to get among the goals of late, he argues the set piece threat once posed by his team has lost some potency.
“Well done to Beevs for getting on the end of that goal but we expect our centre-halves to get on the end of things,” the manager said. “We haven’t done that as much as we should.
“Wheats, in fairness, has been a little bit unlucky. He’s had a couple of goal-bound efforts blocked, had a few things cleared off the line.
“But it’s something we have got to rediscover in our game. Mark has to put that onus on himself – he scored one and put another great header across goal. He’s well capable.”
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