GARY Rowett praised Murray Wallace for his performance in the middle of a back three in the 3-1 win at Crawley Town on Saturday.
Wallace, who last season played most regularly as a left wing-back, was flanked by Shaun Hutchinson and Jake Cooper, with skipper Alex Pearce on the bench.
Rowett signed Scott Malone this summer, and the on-loan Derby man looks certain the start the league campaign as first-choice left wing-back after an impressive goal-scoring performance at the weekend.
Wallace looked confident in the centre of defence, moving the ball quickly and late in the second half surging deep into the Crawley half before finding a team-mate.
“I thought he did well. Muzza’s what he is, he’s a great professional, he’s always a very, very consistent performer,” Rowett said.
“We just felt last season that if Pearcey, for example, wasn’t available, then all of a sudden we had to go back to a back four.
“By bringing Scotty Malone in and having Fergie [Shane Ferguson] as an option on that side as well, Muzza almost just drops back naturally into the positions he favours anyway.
“He’s played left of a three, in the middle of a three, which just gives us a little bit more mobility at times where if we are going step in you don’t want to be exploited with the space around the centre-backs.
“Pearcey’s a fantastic leader for us, he’s played a lot of minutes pre-season as well. It just gave us a chance to look at something else.”
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