Sheffield Wednesday 4 - 0 Argyle
Argyle’s season began with defeat at Hillsborough on Sunday, as the Pilgrims lost 4-0 to Sheffield Wednesday.
Jamal Lowe gave the Owls a deserved lead at half-time, before the same player’s header across goal struck Brendan Galloway and deflected in, shortly after the restart. Josh Windass sealed victory, not that it was in much doubt, with a third goal with nine minutes to go, and Michael Smith rubbed it in with a fourth deep into stoppage time.
At the outset, Wayne Rooney handed out debuts to four new Pilgrims: Nathanel Ogbeta, Ibrahim Cissoko, Muhamed Tijani and Victor Palsson. Obgeta and Palsson began the game as full-backs, either side of a centre-back pairing of Brendan Galloway and, wearing the captain’s armband, Lewis Gibson.
Cissoko’s spot was on the left of a four-man midfield anchored by Adam Forshaw and Darko Gyabi, with Morgan Whittaker on the right flank. Tijani’s strike partner, in a 4-4-2, was Mustapha Bundu.
For Wednesday’s part, they said ‘hi’ to two Lowes – Max and Jamal of that ilk – as well as Svante Ingelsson and Yan Valery. Ike Ugbo, who performed so well for the Owls – kept them up, essentially – last season, has now signed permanently at Hillsborough, but clearance for him to play had not yet come through.
It was Jamal Lowe who first got the vociferous home crowd going, wriggling to the bye-line inside two minutes, but the strong reaction from the Wednesday fans calling for a penalty was at odds with the ease with which Lowe crumpled to the floor. Referee Lewis Smith never entertained the notion of a spot-kick.
The attack set the tone, though. Argyle barely saw the ball for the opening 15 minutes, with a confident Wednesday playing with purpose. They forced numerous corners, although Ingelsson’s toe-ender towards the near post, which was smartly dealt with, was probably the best of their efforts to that point.
Argyle were living off scraps, but the odd tasty morsel seemed to present itself. On one or two occasions, both involving Cissoko, it looked for the slightest second like Wednesday had overcommitted and that Argyle could break in numbers, but each time the Greens could not get the ball under control.
Finally, one did fall kindly. The typically assured Bannan slipped, and Gyabi was able to run into space. Eventually, he was able to slip Cissoko in, but Valery had defended the situation well, and it ended up as a Wednesday goal kick.
As Argyle started to get into the game a little more, Cissoko v Valery was looking like a tidy tussle. From one such match-up, Valery brought down the Dutchman, resulting in a free-kick which Forshaw hit on target, but home goalkeeper James Beadle pouched easily.
Wednesday continued to be the more assured side on the ball, retaining it well and getting into strong areas. The downside of an otherwise accomplished performance from them was seeming to be its final act. Bannan flashed well over from 20 yards, and Anthony Musaba played a ball just too proud of Max Lowe’s overlap, as the Owls threatened but never penetrated.
That changed when a well-crafted move on Wednesday’s right flank saw Ingelsson find space to finesse a low cross into the centre, where Jamal Lowe finished from close range. It was nothing less than the Owls deserved.
Two minutes before the interval, Argyle got a flicker of something, when Cissoko drew several players towards him, and played the ball beyond them to Whittaker, in the inside-right position he craves. However, he was leaning back as he took a shot, and the ball sailed over. It was, though, a sign of Argyle’s two widemen getting into the position where they could best hurt Wednesday.
It was the Owls, though, who looked dangerous quickly after the break, Bannan ghosting into the space just inside the area, and seeing two consecutive efforts charged down.
The home side added their second goal seven minutes after the restart, albeit in somewhat fortuitous circumstances. A clipped cross to the far post found Jamal Lowe, peeling off his man. He may have been just offside, but the flag stayed down, and Lowe’s header across goal struck Galloway in the face and ricocheted past the wrong-footed Hazard and into the net.
Sensing blood in the water, Wednesday sought a killer third goal. They nearly had it through Musaba, who faltered when in space, arriving at the far post, but fumbled a shot wide. Moments later, Lowe wriggled in the area but could not find the space he needed to shoot.
Rooney made a triple change, bringing on Bali Mumba, Ryan Hardie and Callum Wright for Ogbeta, Tijani and Bundu, in an attempt to change Argyle’s fortunes. A short time later, Freddie Issaka followed, for Cissoko.
It was Wednesday who had the best chance for the game’s third goal, though. Again, they worked an opening for Musaba, and again he failed to hit the target when a goal looked on. Next, substitute Olaf Kobacki was the one who was unable to finish, slipping inside the area as he shot.
The third did come, though. Musaba got into the box in an inside-left position and cut back for Windass to prod home, in front of a jubilant home end.
Argyle continued their efforts to get on the scoresheet and had perhaps their best three chances in the closing stages. Neat play by Wright, then Issaka, put Whittaker in a good position entering the area, but he dragged his effort wide.
Next, Gyabi shot from outside the area, and seemingly had the goalkeeper beaten, but the shot went just the wrong side of the post. Then, as the game entered injury time, Issaka’s mazy run was halted, but the ball fell to Whittaker, whose first-time shot was not far wide.
The flurry was to come to nothing, though, and Wednesday added a coup de grace in the last knockings, with Michael Smith finishing from close range to wrap up a very tough afternoon for all in green.
Sheffield Wednesday: 1 James Beadle, 3 Max Lowe (18 Marvin Johnson, 75), 5 Di’Shon Bernard, 6 Dominic Iorfa, 8 Svante Ingelsson (2 Liam Palmer, 88), 9 Jamal Lowe, 10 Barry Bannan (capt), 11 Josh Windass (24 Michael Smith, 83), 27 Yan Valery (14 Pol Valentin, 82), 41 Djeidi Gassama (19 Olaf Kobacki, 75), 45 Anthony Musaba. Substitutes: 47 Pierce Charles (gk), 15 Bambo Diaby, 17 Charlie McNeill, 20 Michael Ihiekwe.
Booked: Lowe 45.
Argyle: 21 Conor Hazard, 3 Nathanael Ogbeta (2 Bali Mumba, 57), 7 Ibrahim Cissoko (35 Freddie Issaka 67), 10 Morgan Whittaker, 15 Mustapha Bundu (11 Callum Wright, 57), 17 Lewis Gibson (capt), 18 Darko Gyabi, 22 Brendan Galloway, 26 Muhamed Tijani (9 Ryan Hardie, 57), 27 Adam Forshaw, 44 Victor Palsson. Substitutes: 1 Michael Cooper (gk), 5 Julio Pleguezuelo, 6 Kornel Szucs, 8 Joe Edwards, 20 Adam Randell.
Booked: Cissoko 45
Attendance: 29,535 (1,300 away approx.)
