Sheffield Wednesday will want to end January how they started the month when Watford come to town, victorious on their own patch after now going three matches on the spin without a win in both the Championship and the FA Cup.
On another day, if Danny Rohl's side weren't so toothless in front of goal with just two on-target efforts from 16 shots, the Owls could have progressed through against Coventry City with a replay now awaiting both sides to add even more congestion to a busy fixture schedule.
Although Djeidi Gassama spared Wednesday blushes last match with a solo strike late on to secure a 1-1 draw, the Owls are arguably in need of some new striker reinforcements with a left-field move for this striker rumoured to be in the pipeline.
Wednesday pursuing exciting attacker
Having two bids already rejected according to Sheffield Star journalist Joe Crann, the Owls are in talks and now planning a third bid for Orlando City striker Duncan McGuire to try and land the breakthrough American striker before the imminent close of the transfer window.
With the report further revealing that McGuire would be open to relocating to England – with the 22-year-old now even rejecting a new contract to stay put in America according to the Star – this is a deal worth pursuing for Wednesday to finally land a potent centre-forward.
Drawing similar comparisons to ex-Owls youngster George Hirst, who had gone on to be Ipswich Town's star man this campaign before injury stopped him in his tracks, the second-tier side will hope McGuire can come in and be a vital breath of fresh air that can help Wednesday keep their heads above water in the division and secure safety.
How Duncan McGuire compares to George Hirst
Hirst feels like the one that got away from the South Yorkshire side's perspective, the homegrown Wednesday talent never flourishing into a clinical first-team striker whilst at Hillsborough before blossoming elsewhere.
The 24-year-old had been crucial for Kieran McKenna's Tractor Boys this season before picking up an untimely injury, helping himself to six goals and seven assists in all competitions from 26 games played.
McGuire, playing out in the MLS last season, did however better Hirst's goal total – the 22-year-old bagging 13 goals for Orlando from 29 MLS appearances, whilst also showcasing his unselfish and creative side with three assists.
It led to Orlando manager Oscar Pareja describing his deadly attacker as "lethal", the centre-forward possessing a clinical edge that would be invaluable to Wednesday's current predicament.
There are many similarities between both McGuire and Hirst, with FBRef showing a likeness between the current Ipswich man and the Owls transfer target in many different areas.
Both players in question go toe-to-toe with shots on target averaged per 90 minutes over their respective seasons, with the 6 foot 1 Orlando star just bettering his Tractor Boys counterpart with 24 shots on target from 33 overall efforts to Hirst's 20 from 45 efforts.
Moreover, both are eerily similar when it comes to shot-creating actions per 90 minutes over the same time period with Hirst just edging McGuire with 2.08 shot-creating actions to the American striker's 2.07.
Wednesday will have felt aggrieved losing Hirst when they did – the Sheffield-born striker only ever bursting into life in the senior game away from Hillsborough – but Rohl's men could well land their next goalscoring hero in the form of McGuire who could even help the Owls stay up this season.