Sheffield Wednesday 3 Morecambe 0 highlighted as Bannan goal and Windass brace seal an easy win

Wednesday 3-0 Morecambe. As routine as a night at the office as you will ever witness. Plymouth won 3-1 tonight, so Wednesday they are second.

Shipston is for Smith.

A ball is thrown through the box and Windass taps in from close range. Game over.

Stockton looks at a wide-open header.

OFF Shaw, Delaney, Crowley.

IN Austerfield, Cooney, Taylor.

Reece James and Tyreeq Bakinson prepare to go out….

Bannan steps inside but doubles his effort outside the goal.

Stockton receives the ball outside the area, but shoots a shot wide of the goal.

Rare effort for Stockton, but Palmer gets in front of him to make sure he gets him off.

Windass and Adeniran connect well before the latter is fouled on a free kick. Half way in the middle of Morecambe.

Johnson tries his luck from a distance but his effort is blocked by a defender. Wednesday recycle ball and lock up visitors.

Wednesday pressing for a third. That would really kill the game as a contest.

Johnson fizzles into a taunting cross, but Morecambe pulls him out of harm’s way.

Wednesday just flirting with each other in the back. There is no real urgency, but the responsibility is not theirs, it is Morecambe’s.

Michael Smith rises higher to meet a cross, but he doesn’t have enough power to upset Ripley.

Mayor replaced Mellon at the visiting break, by the way.

The second half starts on Wednesday.

After a long wait, the visitors are out.

George Byers walked off the field at half-time appearing to limp. It never rains, it pours…

dawson 7

palm tree 8

flint 7

famous 7

8

Banana 8

Byers 8

vaults 8

Johnson 7

wind 8

blacksmith 7

The Pilgrims are level, 1-1, at Oxford. Which means that if the scores stay the same, Wednesday will be the best.

The Owls close in, first when Adeniran sees a blocked shot before Vaulks is charged.

2 minutes will be added.

The Owls have dominated this first half and are deservedly up 2-0. It is not to tempt luck, but Morecambe has been practically non-existent with the ball at their feet.

Good play by Adeniran who takes out Windass. He shoots a cross, but the Owls can’t engineer a goal attempt. A third before the break would be nice.

The resulting free kick is hit hard over the crossbar and into the Kop by Jensen Weir.

Shaw dances through two or three Wednesday players before Bannan cynically takes him down. Reserve for the skipper.

Johnson finally gets his shot, but it’s blocked. He then recycles it but Morecambe fends off the danger.

Those two goals have allowed Wednesday to put the visitors at a distance. And Morecambe have done very little with the ball.

Morecambe with his first effort, but Dawson is well down to make a close save for Mellon.

Bannan selects Johnson on the left. Smith shoots his cross into the box towards the goal, but it looks like Windass made the last touch. 2-0 Wednesday.

Wednesday well in command now

The ball reaches Windass after Morecambe carelessly misses it, but Ripley deflects his shot into the visitors’ goal.

A beautiful fly ball from Vaulks chooses Bannan. The chance for a corner is cleared. All the Owls.

Bannan throws one high and wide over the bar after some patient play. Owls dominating the ball from the kick-off.

Opening ten minutes has been all Wednesday, perhaps as expected. They seem eager to extend that buffer and drive a real gap in the early gates.

It was Byers with the kick. Windass narrowly missed, but Bannan was on hand to slide home with his left foot. Owls in control.

Bannan connects it home from a good backhand. Pretty sure Morecambe hadn’t touched the ball up to that point.

Wednesday off to a fast start! Bannan places it at home.

Morecambe, kicking towards the Kop, get us going.

I’m not sure why, but there was a pre-match light show to try and inject a bit more atmosphere into the occasion.

Morecambe has brought a handful of fans to Hillsborough tonight…

Let’s see if he can maintain his excellent form on Wednesday. The carrot dangling in front of them is the potential to come out on top tonight…or at least strengthen their grip on second place.

We know from this point that it is in our hands to continue and win the league. Obviously, that’s what would happen if we won all of our games and we need to capitalize from here.

So no Dominic Iorfa tonight then. That brings the number of veteran players not on the team tonight to seven: Iorfa, Hunt, Wilks, Gregory, Paterson, Ihiekwe, Heneghan.