Hull 3-1 The Owls

Match Report

I did not go to this one; I watched it from home after work as I had little time to get to the stadium. It was great to see us win, but I am starting to wonder if I am a bad luck charm: the games I have been to since the away win to Blackburn in December we have lost, whereas the ones I am not able to go to we win. Nonetheless, this was a guaranteed win, even before kickoff. Sheffield Wednesday have not won in over 30 league games, and are the first team to be relegated this season. If we did not win this, we did not deserve to be in the playoffs.

With Southampton and Wrexham on the charge, this was a must win. Recent results and performances have been below par, as we have been dropping down the top six week after week. The defeat against West Brom last week put a dent in our can of hopes, but we managed to put things right this weekend. The only way is up from now, as we head into the final furlong of fixtures.

Sergej made three changes from the game last weekend. In came Drameh, McNair and Joseph. Out went Hughes, Coyle and Koumas. That meant in a 4-2-3-1 formation, we lined up as follows: Pandur in goal; Drameh, Egan, McNair, and Ajayi as the back four; Slater and Crooks as defensive midfielders; Millar, Joseph and Gelhardt as the attacking trio; with McBurnie leading the line.

The Owls came out of the wood flying high in the opening period, keeping the ball well and forcing us on the backfoot. We were happy to sit and soak the pressure, but the sponge hit capacity, and they swooped ahead in the 23rd minute. It started from a set piece, which we failed to clear, and Jamal Lowe was able to stick his leg out, and steer it into the corner of the net. How were we trailing to a side who have not won since last September?

Not to worry though as we equalised a minute later. Some nice work between McBurnie and Joseph on the right released the latter, whose low cross into the box was finished off by Matt Crooks’ right foot. A great response, but we should never have gotten into the situation from the start. Hopefully we could push on and take control of the game.

They controlled the game after this, and were on the front-foot. They were not acting like a relegated side, but they certainly turned up to play football today. The sold-out away corners were the key catalyst for this, as they were chanting and cheering from the first whistle to the last. They had five shots to our two in the first 45 minutes, and used their time on the ball better than us, but only had one goal to show for their efforts. However, they gave us our second in the sixth minute of added time. We were awarded a free-kick from a dangerous position, and Gelhardt’s cross was glanced into the back of the net by one of theirs.

It was not an entertaining half from our angle; we needed to step up a few gears in the second period. Thankfully, we were able to do this and put a cap on the game. Our strength and stamina outmatched Wednesday, who struggled to get a grip on the game when we took a two goal lead. And, our third came in the 58th-minute. McBurnie did well to hold the ball in the box, and lay it off to Joseph, whose beautiful strike fired into the bottom left corner of the net.

The game became tedious and uneventful after this and the home crowd were in silence, easterly waiting for the final whistle. The visiting side provided a few scares, but despite having 54% of the ball, they did not trouble Pandur. Credit to the travelling supporters, who continued to chant despite losing and knowing they will be in League One next season. The team also gave us a run for our money, and deserved at least another goal for their efforts.

It was a vital win, but the performance and manner of the game does not really give me hope heading into the remaining seven games. Yes it was a win, but we let Wednesday get too close for comfort at times, and given their recent record, it should have been a walk in the park. Nevertheless, we got the goals, and keep the three point gap between us and Wrexham. I suppose at this stage it does not really matter how we win, just as long as we are.

Next up: Oxford away on Good Friday. I will miss this due to being in St Lucia. I will be back for the home game against Coventry.

Over and out.