Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 Ipswich Town - Half-Time
Saturday, 29th Jan 2022 16:00

Marvin Johnson’s sixth-minute goal has given Sheffield Wednesday a 1-0 half-time lead over the Blues at Hillsborough.

Dominic Thompson was handed his Town debut and Idris El Mizouni returned to the XI for the first time since Kieran McKenna took charge as the Blues boss made five changes from the team which beat Wimbledon 2-0 on Tuesday with front three Macauley Bonne, Bersant Celina and Conor Chaplin all back in the side.

Thompson, who joined on loan from Brentford on Thursday, was at left wing-back with Kane Vincent-Young suspended for one match having been sent off at Plough Lane.

El Mizouni joined Tyreeq Bakinson in the centre of midfield with skipper Sam Morsy serving the second game of his four-match ban. Centre-half George Edmundson again wore the armband.

Tom Carroll and Kayden Jackson were missing from the 18, while James Norwood and Sone Aluko were among the subs having started against the Dons, as were Rekeem Harper and Vaclav Hladky, who has been absent for the last two matches due to illness.

Wednesday gave debuts to loan signings Jordan Storey and Harlee Dean in their three-man defence, while eight-goal top-scorer Lee Gregory missed out due to foot injury with Josh Windass coming in for his second league start of the season. Former Town loanee Massimo Luongo started in the Owls' midfield.

After both teams had taken a knee, the Blues, in their black third kit, dominated the ball in the early stages.

However, Wednesday took the lead in the sixth minute following their first spell in possession of the afternoon.

After Edmundson had lost the ball on Town’s left touchline, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing brought it forward down the right before sending over a deep cross and Johnson, who had broken away from Wes Burns, volleyed a low shot back across Christian Walton and into the corner of the net.

Town continued to see most of the ball, although with Wednesday more involved than they had been before their goal. However, Town had shown nothing in the final third until a 16th minute Janoi Donacien cross from the right which was headed clear.

There was a scare for the Blues in the 18th minute when Florian Kamberi was sent away behind the Town backline by Luongo but Luke Woolfenden got back to force him inside and Edmundson smashed the ball out for a corner from which Dean headed across the face and wide with no one able to add a further touch.

Wednesday were beginning to get on top with their fans, previously quiet despite the goal, starting to get behind them. On 23, Mendez-Laing took the ball inside following a short corner but screwed his shot well wide.

A minute later, Windass hit an effort wide, before Dean was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Celina in the centre circle.

Town threatened for the first time on half hour when Bakinson clipped a looping ball to the far post but it bounced over Thompson and out for a goal-kick A minute later, Celina brought it forward before shooting well over from the edge of the box.

On 37, Burns, who moments earlier had been given instruction by manager McKenna, was sent away down the right and sent in a cross which was cleared at the back post.

Wednesday should have made it 2-0 in the 40th minute when Barry Bannan’s cross crossed from the left was turned on by Kamberi. Edmundson got the merest of touches on it to take it away from Mendez-Laing, who subsequently worked himself space eight yards out and seemed certain to score but somehow hit his shot the wrong side of the post.

Celina wasted a Blues free-kick on the right in the 42nd minute, although in the aftermath the Kosovan international sent Donacien away on the right and his cross was diverted towards his own goal by a Wednesday defender, but Bailey Peacock-Farrell in the Owls goal was able to claim.

Kamberi forced Walton to save at his near post on 44, then from the corner Sam Hutchinson headed straight at the Blues keeper. A foot either wide of him and it would have been a goal.

That was the last chance of a half which Town had started brightly before conceding from the Owls’ first attack.

Thereafter, the Blues had long spells of possession but largely in their own half and they have been unable to create a serious opportunity, while the home side had more than enough chances to make it 2-0 with Town getting sloppier the longer the half progressed.

Sheffield Wednesday: Peacock-Farrell, Storey, Dean, Hutchinson, Mendez-Laing, Dele-Bashiru, Luongo, Bannan, (c) Johnson, Windass, Kamberi. Subs: Wildsmith, Hunt, Palmer, Byers, Paterson, Sow, John-Jules.

Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson (c), Burns, Bakinson, El Mizouni, Thompson, Celina, Chaplin, Bonne. Subs: Hladky, Burgess, Harper, Edwards, Aluko, Norwood, Pigott. Referee: Darren Bond (Lancashire).

Photo: Pagepix

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