Scunthorpe United v Sheffield Wednesday

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Carling Cup

Scunthorpe United :
Murphy, Byrne, Raynes, Nolan, Canavan, Togwell, O'Connor (A.Wright 77 mins), J.Wright, Collins, Dagnall (Boyes 89 mins), Forte (Grant 70 mins).
Subs not used:
Slocombe, Coleman, Godden, Palmer.

Sheffield Wednesday :
Weaver, Hinds, Jones, Beevers, Otsemobor, Potter, O'Connor, Teale (Tudgay 57 mins), Sedgwick (Miller 57 mins), Heffernan (Mellor 53 mins), Morrison.
Subs not used:
Jameson, Spurr, Buxton, Coke.

SULSESC REPORT

by Sheffield Star at Glanford Park

RICHARD Hinds's first start of the season and return to his former club was followed by an early bath as the Owls went out of the Carling Cup against a full-strength Championship outfit at Scunthorpe.

The only comfort for the centre half, who replaced injured captain Darren Purse, is that his second-half red card came when Wednesday were 2-0 down and already looking likely to lose.

There was certainly no way back for them after the penalty made it 3-0, though sub Marcus Tudgay put away a spot-kick, and after it became 4-1 a late goal by his fellow sub Neil Mellor gave the 1,860 Owls fans something to cheer.

Irvine made six changes, as he did for the first round against Bury, but this time the right result was not forthcoming.

Wednesday fans filling the end behind Nicky Weaver's goal were in great voice but were given a scare in the third minute. A diagonal cross by midfielder Michael Collins found his fellow midfield player Sam Togwell unmarked in the box; the ex-Barnsley man had plenty of time for a volley but mis-hit it.

The ball ended up going for a corner, and from this the Iron made a half-chance for centre half Michael Raynes; he headed wide at the near post.

Nearly 21 minutes had gone before the Owls came up with a serious threat: Heffernan sprayed a pass out left to Chris Sedgwick and from his cross Morrison was always stretching backwards as he headed over the bar.

Michael O'Connor hit the wall with a 25-yard free kick after Mark Beevers was booked for a foul on striker Chris Dagnall. Wednesday should have gone ahead in the 36th minute. Teale rescued a lost cause on the right and hooked the ball from the byline to Heffernan, who side-footed a free volley high over from eight yards.

Raynes was closer with a powerful header over the top from a corner three minutes later.

It was jolt for the Owls to go behind in the second of two added minutes and with almost the last kick of the half. Strikers Dagnall and Jonathan Forte worked the ball out to Collins in the left-hand corner of the box, and he swung a fine shot into the far top corner of the net.

Then it looked as if the Owls were on the way out when they went two down in the 49th minute.

Forte provided the assist, and Dagnall beat Hinds before drilling home a low shot from the edge of the box for his first goal since his summer move from Rochdale, for whom he got 20 last season.

Mellor was soon sent on for Heffernan and, running on a pass from Teale, tested Joe Murphy with crisp left-foot drive.

The arrival of Tudgay, on for Teale, signalled a switch to the sort of 4-3-3 formation that salvaged a point at Colchester but Wednesday pressure was followed by an amazing let-off when a right-footer from Nolan hit the inside of Weaver's left-hand post and the ball bounced back across goal to safety.

The Owls were not so lucky five minutes later: a superb left-wing cross from Togwell was headed back across goal by Collins towards Forte, and Hinds brought down the striker inside the six-yard box.

The inevitable red card was followed by O'Connor slamming the penalty high to Weaver's left as the keeper dived the wrong way. A consolation came after a foul by Cliff Byrne on Mellor: a penalty was placed low into the net by Tudgay as Murphy dived wrongly to his left.

The 10 men, playing 3-3-3, were hit by free diving header from Dagnall in the 81st minute, but when Jones crossed Mellor sidefooted home two minutes later.