Town 2-1 Sheffield Wednesday - Match Report Tuesday, 10th Feb 2015 21:57 Daryl Murphy and Luke Chambers netted second-half headers as the Blues came from a goal down at half-time to defeat Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 at Portman Road. A defensive mix-up between Bartosz Bialkowski and Christophe Berra led to Kieran Lee putting the Owls in front on 20 but the Blues were always on top and Murphy flicked home a Freddie Sears cross on 52, his 19th goal of the season, and Chambers powered in the winner 15 minutes later from Kevin Bru’s ball in from the left. Boss Mick McCarthy made five changes to his starting line-up with Sears handed his full debut up front alongside Murphy with David McGoldrick missing out due to the thigh injury he suffered at Rotherham. Jonny Parr came in at left-back for Tyrone Mings, who dropped to the bench, while Teddy Bishop, Stephen Hunt and Darren Ambrose replaced Bru, Paul Anderson and Jay Tabb, who were also amongst the subs. Keeper Dean Gerken returned to the bench having been out with a hip problem. The Blues started in a 4-4-2 formation with Ambrose, who was making his third full league debut for the Blues, on the right and Hunt on the left. Neither keeper was tested in the first 14 minutes but with Town having had most of the ball. On 12 Sam Hutchinson was lucky to avoid a yellow card for a foul on Bishop. Seconds later, the Blues were similarly fortunate that referee Stuart Attwell pulled play back for a foul when Lewis McGugan had dispossessed Cole Skuse and had sent Stevie May away towards goal. Championship top scorer Murphy came close to his 19th of the season right on the quarter hour when he brushed off Owls’ skipper Tom Lees before hitting a shot across goal from the left of the box but just wide. But despite the Blues having had the better of the early stages, Wednesday went in front in the 20th minute via their first serious chance of the game and it was a goal - the third Town had conceded from a set piece in two games - which Bialkowski and Berra will want to forget. Lees sent in a freekick from halfway on the right and Will Keane knocked the ball down towards May. Berra sought to shield the ball back to Bialkowski but the two of them seemed unsure of the other’s intentions and, as they collided, the Polish keeper could only push the ball away to the edge of the box from where Kieran Lee gratefully smashed into the roof of the net. The Blues looked to get straight back on terms, Murphy making a strong run down the middle before hitting a shot which Wednesday keeper Keiren Westwood batted away. As the half hour the Blues were almost handed an opportunity when Claude Dielna missed Parr’s cross from the left but the ball wouldn’t fall for Sears. Moments later, Hutchinson dispossessed Bishop on halfway before bringing the ball forward and finding May, who shot across the face of Bialkowski’s goal from the right when he ought to have done better. At the other end, Smith headed an Ambrose corner from the right powerfully wide. The Blues were beginning to put the pressure on but Wednesday were looking dangerous on the counter-attack. On 33 May broke and fed Keane to his left but Berra dispossessed the on-loan Manchester United man Town went close to getting back on terms in the 33rd minute when Bishop fed Ambrose on the right and the midfielder sent over a low first time ball which Sears just couldn’t keep down. Soon after, Hutchinson was booked for a foul on the ex-Colchester man. The Blues continued to press, keeping the ball far better than they have in recent weeks. On 37 Ambrose headed Parr’s left-wing cross to Westwood, then two minutes later Skuse hit a well-struck shot through to the Irish keeper. Close to the end of the scheduled 45 minutes Hunt felt he had been shoved over by Marnick Vermijl as he shielded a bouncing ball from the ex-Manchester United full-back inside the area but referee Attwell wasn’t interested. In injury time the Blues went agonisingly close to getting back on terms when Hunt crossed from the left and Murphy’s header beat Westwood but stuck the post before being cleared by a Wednesday defender. Referee Attwell was booed off by the Sir Alf Ramsey Stand at the break, although in truth it would have been a harsh penalty had the decision close to the whistle gone Hunt’s way. On the overall balance of the half the Blues hadn’t deserved to be behind, despite having conceded another poor goal. Once behind, Town had played as well as they had in a while with Sears close to netting his first goal at Portman Road and then Murphy coming even nearer to adding to his total for the season. Wednesday, however, had remained a danger when breaking. Mings replaced Hunt ahead of the restart with Parr moving to the left of midfield. The Blues began the second half where they had left off the first with Parr winning an early corner from which Berra’s header was bundled wide off a Town player. But the equaliser the Blues’ performance had deserved wasn’t too much longer in coming. In the 53rd minute Sears sent over an inswinging right-foot cross from the left and Murphy deftly flicked a header past his international team-mate Westwood to claim his 19th goal of the campaign. After a brief spell of Wednesday pressure, Mings played a 58th minute ball in from the left to Parr, who turned and shot over. While Westwood prepared to take the goalkick Kevin Bru replaced Bishop. A minute later Town should have been ahead. Mings and Sears did well down the left and the full-back crossed to the far post from where Ambrose headed against the outside of the post when he should have scored. As the hour mark approached, Mings again brought the ball in from the left and struck a low right-foot shot which flew just beyond the post. The Blues were by now well on top and were creating chances almost at will and in the 67th minute - shortly after Wednesday had switched Atdhe Nuhiu and Lewis Buxton for Vermijl and McGugan - they finally got their noses in front. Bru whipped over a cross from the left and skipper Luke Chambers powered a superb header across Westwood and into the corner of the net to claim his first goal of the campaign. The Blues went looking for more goals, Smith heading straight at Westwood from Mings’s corner. At the other end, Bialkowski came and failed to reach a cross but fortunately the ball looped well away from goal off an Owls head. With 12 minutes remaining Westwood blocked from Parr but with the Norwegian - who had put in an impressive display on his return to the side - had strayed offside. With four minutes remaining, Noel Hunt replaced Sears, who was warmly applauded off the field by his new fans. The Blues saw out the remaining minutes with few dramas to claim their first win in four matches. Town thoroughly deserved the three points having put in their most accomplished performance for some while. Of the players who came into the team, Parr, Sears and Ambrose were amongst the Blues’ best performers, while Murphy put in another fine all-round display as he closes in on 20 league goals for the season. Mings and Bru both impressed having come off the bench. The result moves Town back to fourth, five points off the top with Middlesbrough going top having beaten Blackpool 2-1 at Bloomfield Road, while previous top two Bournemouth and Derby drew 2-2 at Dean Court. Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Parr, Berra, Smith, Skuse, Bishop (Bru 58), S Hunt (Mings 46), Ambrose, Sears (N Hunt 86), Murphy. Unused: Gerken, Anderson, Tabb, Clarke. Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood, Vermijl (Buxton 66), Mattock, Lees (c), Dielna, Hutchinson (Melo 59), Lee, McGugan (Nuhiu 66), Helan, May, Keane. Unused: Kirkland, Palmer, Maghoma, Bus. Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire). Att: 17,306 (Owls: 652)
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