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Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Ipswich Town - Match Report
Saturday, 5th Nov 2016 17:12

Skipper Luke Chambers headed an 87th minute winner to see the Blues to a 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday, maintaining boss Mick McCarthy’s unbeaten record as a manager at Hillsborough. In the first half Tom Lawrence had put Town ahead with a brilliant first goal for the Blues but Gary Hooper had hit back almost immediately with what looked to be an offside goal for the Owls.

Jonas Knudsen returned at left-back in an otherwise unchanged Town side, the Danish international having missed last week’s 2-2 home draw with Rotherham due to a back injury. Myles Kenlock dropped to the bench.

The game started brightly with both sides creating early opportunities. Blues captain Chambers did well to get across to crowd out Adam Reach after the former Middlesbrough winger had been played in down the middle in the second minute.

Play quickly moved to the other end of the field and David McGoldrick tricked his way past a defender on the edge of the box but screwed his effort well wide.

On eight Barry Bannan shot over from 20 yards after Kieran Lee had escaped down the Wednesday right and cut in.

Neither side was able to create a further chance until the 25th minute when Steven Fletcher struck a shot on the turn which Adam Webster deflected behind. From David Jones’s corner on the left, Fletcher headed powerfully over.

But Town, in their all white second strip for the first time in the Championship, had been been in what was an evenly-balanced game, albeit without conjuring an opportunity.

Until that is the 32nd minute when Lawrence put the Blues ahead with a brilliant first goal for the club.

The on-loan Leicester man dispossessed Jack Hunt just inside the Town half and brought the ball forward before cutting inside and smashing a low right-foot shot from just inside the box across keeper Keiren Westwood and into the net.


But Town’s lead lasted less than four minutes. Jones, who played for Mick McCarthy at Wolves, hit a low shot which Bartosz Bialkowski did well to keep out down to his left but Hooper reacted quickest to slam home from close range, although looking to be one of a number of Wednesday players to have strayed offside.

Reach, who was a player Town showed interest in early in the summer, headed back across goal but with none of his team-mates in the box on 41, then at the other end McGoldrick crossed too deep for Freddie Sears and Daniel Pudil headed back to his keeper while grounded.

Neither side threatened again and the scoreline at the break was a fair reflection of the half.

Wednesday had had the better of the game’s few chances prior to Lawrence’s excellent goal, while the Blues will be disappointed to have conceded so soon after grabbing the lead, even more so if replays confirm that Hooper was indeed offside.

The Owls almost took the lead within a minute of the restart, Hooper battling to the edge of the area before hitting a low shot which Bialkowski saved down to his right. Webster and Lee both reacted quickly and the Town defender did enough to cause the Wednesday midfielder to stab wide.

On 55 Hunt crossed from the right but Fletcher was unable to get over the ball and sent his header well wide.

A minute later Town skipper Chambers picked up the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Reach, then Fernando Forestieri replaced the former Boro man, before Fletcher was yellow-carded for a foul on Sears in the 59th minute.

Town had been more on the back foot after the break with the home side in charge but without creating too many chances.

Webster made one of his increasingly familiar charges forward in the 66th minute but was dispossessed before he could find Sears to his right. Jonny Williams replaced the again quiet Bishop in the 70th minute.

Fletcher hit a weak effort through to Bialkowski in the 73rd minute with Wednesday by this stage rarely threatening against a determined and disciplined Blues side and the home crowd making their frustration and anxiety clear.

With a quarter of an hour remaining Wednesday swapped Jones for Ross Wallace, then on 79 Kevin Bru took over from Lawrence for Town.

The Blues created what was up to then their best opening of the half in the 81st minute after a Cole Skuse break. Williams failed to find McGoldrick with a chip to the far post but the ball fell to Ward, who played in Sears but as Westwood closed him down quickly, the striker’s shot hit the stanchion behind the goal.

Town were starting to look the more dangerous side and on 84 Williams came close to his first goal of his latest loan spell at Portman Road.

Ward found himself space on the right to cross and the Wales international turned the ball against Sam Hutchinson from inside the six-yard box when he seemed certain to score.

But the Blues didn’t have to wait too long for what would prove the winning goal. Ward won a freekick wide on the right and the former Tottenham man whipped over a deep cross, Berra won a free header at the far post but the ball was going wide until Chambers nodded his second goal of the season powerfully past Westwood at the far post, right in front of the travelling Town support.

In the final minute of normal time Luke Varney, like McGoldrick a one-time Wednesday loanee, replaced Ward.

As the fourth official’s board indicated four additional minutes McGoldrick cut in from the left but scraped his shot across the face and wide.

The Blues saw out the remaining minutes comfortably to claim a hard-fought three points.

After an even first half, Wednesday had the better of the early stages of the half but the Blues defended determinedly and in the latter stages broke quickly through among others Sears, McGoldrick and Williams and in the final 10 minutes looked the more likely winners with Chambers reacting quickly to add his header with Berra’s on the way wide.

The result sees the Blues go into the international break having moved up one place to 15th, now seven points off the relegation zone and five off the play-offs.

Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood, Jones (Wallace 75), Lee, Fletcher, Reach (Forestieri 57), Hooper (Abdi 81), Lees (c), Hutchinson, Hunt, Pudil, Bannan. Unused: Dawson, Loovens, Palmer, Buckley.

Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Knudsen, Webster, Berra, Skuse, Bishop (Williams 70), Ward (Varney 90), Lawrence (Bru 79), Sears, McGoldrick. Unused: Gerken, Best, Emmanuel, Kenlock. Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire). Attendance: 25,851.


Photo: TWTD



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ChestnutSe added 20:59 - Nov 5
Great result. Well done management, team and fans. COYB
4

yorksblue added 21:25 - Nov 5
Winsdor - under the cosh. Are you sure? They had the odd spell, but overall, we were in control and should have won comfortably, based on 2nd half chances. Safe journey home.
0

bobble added 21:55 - Nov 5
A great win for town and an easy win for the wallabies ,a god weekend all round.
Can mick prove his critics wrong?
The ball is in his court to paraphrase a darts term.
1

arablue added 22:30 - Nov 5
well done! makes a whole lot of difference setting a team up for a win instead of a draw.
6

shakytown added 22:33 - Nov 5
Now get douggies wages off the books and if at all possible get 10 quid for him and stick with this formation. No douggie and we start to play something like football. We still need quality in midfeild and a striker to progress further so splash some of the cash from recent sales.
4

sgtlargent added 22:51 - Nov 5
More like it. Can't be argued that there are a few positives with regards to team selection and injured players coming back to fitness.

Feel we all need to find a balance of what we're going to be happy with, Mick isn't going anywhere and isn't going to become an expansive manager over night. Flip side he can't keep pulling the wool over with playing dire football and defensive teams and not expect to get it in the neck.
1

bobble added 23:33 - Nov 5
The good results keep on coming in along with towns win, and the wallabies win, ireland smashed the all blacks..what lovely weekend it has been...
0

KiwiTractor added 00:37 - Nov 6
Nice to remember what it's like to win a weekend game! Great result, well done lads.

I'm currently in the 'Mick-out brigade', so it will take a bit more to convince me otherwise. I am happy enough with the starting XI he has put out the last 2 games (except right back), but can he get these players passing the football better? Only 39% possession, so it doesn't sound like a consistent winning formula. I'm expecting Mick will also be looking for the earliest chance to get Douglas back in the line-up ..... I hope he proves me wrong.
6

milliem added 01:30 - Nov 6
All you cumontheblarclays boys like blueboy1981 and Battyblue and all your other pretendy Town user names can ponder on these facts:

Your Kack lost at home to Leeds hahaha!
We won away at Sheffield Wednesday
-5

BrettenhamBlue added 04:16 - Nov 6
May get some disagreement here but really feel we can get a solid mid-table finish as long as we stay injury free. The quality of football in the last 2 games has been much better, less hoofing and more passing. Good to see Norwich get 0 points. They might be with us next season again!

2 home games coming up. 6 points please. COYB!
3

battyblue added 05:24 - Nov 6
excellent,makes a welcome change,to all very well done can we keep it going now i sincerly hope so Mick had to change his way of thinking lets hope it lasts,,,

(Milliem) i am over the moon the carrot road lot lost if you think i support them you are as deluded as McCarthy mate.
6

Stato added 09:08 - Nov 6
That was a great away performance against a very strong side. Bart had a very quiet game as for once we gave him decent protection. Only concern for me was Webster who was only player doing hoof ball and his distribution was generally woeful. Easily our worst player and seemed to be believing his own hype.
0

Seasider added 12:32 - Nov 6
Have now had 17 first team games including League Cup and results are:-
Won 5-Drawn 6 and Lost 6 games;so not time to break open the Champagne just yet.

However a win is a win;but the most encouraging aspect was the side Mick put out had a more attacking look to it which was reflected in the result.

Lets hope that with most of the players back, especially the important ones,that (a) our best players can now stay fit.

and (b) we don't suffer a heavy defeat playing this way like at Reading last season, causing the manager to revert to the boring safety first method we have had to endure until now.

5 points off the play offs is a bridgeable gap to close.
8

blueboy1981 added 13:31 - Nov 6
...... milliem ........ I feel nothing but sadness for such a poor soul.
2

Surco72 added 16:08 - Nov 6
Really good away win , well done to all . Shame it took one of the highest paid managers in the league so long to admit he was making a mistake playing Skuse and Douglas together and being so negative . 10 goals in 4 games that Bishop started ahead of Douglas says it all really
4

Kirtonspanner added 16:45 - Nov 6
Bring back Graham Harbey!!
0

heathen66 added 17:19 - Nov 6
Wow, fantastic result and a great way to answer critics, however one good result in the last i d not know how many games does not however make us either play off candidates or McCarthy a great manager. We have been very very poor recently (for the last year or so) and will need a few more good results, and more importantly good performances to convince me and many others Nick is the mane to lead us forward
0

RegencyBlue added 17:33 - Nov 6
A great result but we need to build on it.

The next two home games should be winnable if MM doesn't revert back to type and go for safety first. Two decent performances will help to get the crowd back on board but anything less and we will be back to square one!
0

Fatcatevans added 19:02 - Nov 6
BossMann that's your 2nd pop at young Webster. You must be blind if you think he's of the hoofball genre. He's a class act. He made a great interception after Barts parry and uses the ball far better than most in a town shirt. But I guess you see what you want to see
1

PutneyBlue added 19:07 - Nov 6
midastouch, I live in Darkest Putney and follow the match with the live commentary on Ipswich Player. I love the combination of the smooth Brenner and the rough Mills, who actually makes some pretty insightful comments.
Apart from that I follow the live text on the BBC web site.
So you don't have to resort to the red button.
0

PutneyBlue added 19:08 - Nov 6
midastouch, I live in Darkest Putney and follow the match with the live commentary on Ipswich Player. I love the combination of the smooth Brenner and the rough Mills, who actually makes some pretty insightful comments.
Apart from that I follow the live text on the BBC web site.
So you don't have to resort to the red button.
0

StellaSaturdays added 20:46 - Nov 6
Mick finally listens to the fans and we get a win? Funny that. There was a group of fans at the game who changed from mick out to mick in about 5 5times across 90 minutes just because we won on their only away day of the season they think he's manager of the season. Mick out.
0

yorksblue added 20:49 - Nov 6
http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/video-there-were-som

Natives are getting restless up here in Sheffield. They've got short memories
0

dirtydingusmagee added 21:42 - Nov 6
ive been calling for McCarthy to go but you cant knock a win , if he gets the results he will be doing his job, i see no reason to slate him regardless.At least lets see if he can now stop the rot !. I wont be dashing back to the terraces on the strength of this result but ,credit must be given when due .Lets take that result, and see how things go next couple of games .Its annoying that once again the Internationals mean another break. I think anyone who believes M M has listened to the fans and picked team accordingly are kidding themselves .
2


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