James Beadle has been hailed as a “high potential goalkeeper” as he hopes to be thrown into the firing line with Sheffield Wednesday.

The Albion prospect could come straight into the Owls side at Southampton after signing on loan.

He spent the first half of the season at Oxford United and is now competing for a place with Cameron Dawson.

Wednesday manager Danny Rohl said: "He wants to play of course. He wants to improve and show up.

“It is about the performance in training and in games.”

Beadle, 19, was a regular at Oxford and the move to Wednesday will have been made in the belief he will play Championship football.

Rohl added: “He is a high potential goalkeeper who makes very good saves and is good on the ground.

“He can play football and has all the things we want to have and demand from a goalkeeper.

“The important thing is performance.

“Cameron did well in the last games and now we are looking forward to what I decide for the future.

"I have said I want a high performance culture within the team and this is in every position.

“I want a battle between good goalkeepers.

“They are working hard together, at the moment we have four goalkeepers here and I see a group with high quality and high energy.”

Whoever takes the gloves for Wednesday will face a major test against Russell Martin’s high-flying Southampton as one of Beadle’s fellow on-loan Albion goalkeepers would testify.

Carl Rushworth was on the receiving end when Swansea lost 5-0 at St Mary’s recently.