Wednesday 2-0 Dag & Red

Wednesday started life in npower League One with a comfortable 2-0 victory against Dagenham & Redbridge in an historic match at Hillsborough on Saturday.

It was the first time the Owls had faced the Daggers in a league meeting and goals from Giles Coke – which seems to have been credited as an own goal to Scott Doe – and Clinton Morrison did the damage for Wednesday.

The Owls bossed most parts of the first half and the majority of the 23,000-plus inside S6 will have expected more goals after two in the opening 15 minutes which had eased the hosts ahead.

But the visitors proved they were a tough nut to crack in the second half and John Still’s men thwarted the Owls from adding to their tally, although Nicky Weaver was relatively untroubled at the other end.

It was a somewhat surprise line-up selected by Alan Irvine for the season opener, with five of his summer arrivals making the starting eleven.

Nicky Weaver started in goal while Clinton Morrison also started despite making just one substitute appearance in pre-season and there were also starts for Giles Coke, Gary Teale and Chris Sedgwick.

And Wednesday made a steady start to the game with chances coming few and far between for both sides.

The Daggers, underdogs coming into the game, showed they were up for the occasion with some penetrating runs forward which never really tested Weaver, while Wednesday looked quite comfortable in possession in the early exchanges.

The game didn’t really burst into life until the Owls netted the opener inside the first 13 minutes.

Two new signings linked well as Teale produced a dangerous cross which found Coke, who in turn slammed the ball into the back of the net with the help of a slight deflection from Scott Doe, in front of the visiting supporters.

It prompted a purple patch for the Owls – the goal had clearly lifted them into the next gear – and Morrison quickly added a second to leave the visitors shell-shocked.

It was former Wigan and Derby man Teale who again provided the initial cross for another new-man, Sedgwick, to head the ball back into the danger-zone for Morrison to swing in the second.

The former Coventry man certainly made an impact in his first showing as an Owl and he raced over to the masses in the North Stand to celebrate his first goal for the club.

Irvine opted for Morrison alongside Tudgay in attack and the strike duo almost linked for a third when some good work from the latter played in Morrison who snapped his effort high and wide.

With a two goal cushion the hosts took their foot off the gas slightly as the first-half neared its end.

But Tudgay did come close to adding a third when he saw his well-directed header tipped over the bar.

The visitors’ best chance came just minutes before the break but Romain Vincelot saw his effort drift inches wide of Weaver’s goal before the half-time whistle.

Half-Time: Wednesday 2-0 Daggers

If Wednesdayites thought they were going to be in for a goal haul on the resumption they were wrong, but the Owls were still comfortable in their victory.

The Owls didn’t look a patch on their first-half form and almost let the visitors back into it.

With all respect to John Still’s men, if Wednesday had been playing one of their promotion rivals they could have well paid the price for sitting back and relaxing on their lead.

It wasn’t to be though, although some of the home support did grow a bit restless with Wednesday’s poor showing in the second half.

Credit to Dagenham & Redbridge though, they came out fighting in the second half and made Wednesday fight for every scrap.

There was little in the way of goalmouth action though, and for all the ground the visitors were making on their hosts they had little end product or creativity in the final third for much of the second half.

Morrison, clearly struggling slightly after featuring just once in pre-season, made way for another summer signing in Neil Mellor, while Darren Potter was also introduced at the expense of James O’Connor as the game ticked along.

Mellor almost had an instant impact when he turned on a Sedgwick ball and shot straight at goal but saw his effort deflected wide for a corner.

The visitors did up their game in the final 15 minutes but it wasn’t enough to worry Owls boss Alan Irvine, with the Wednesday defence soaking up the pressure pretty well.

Some half-chances came at both ends – Tudgay saw a powerful header go just over the bar from a Potter corner – but neither side could add to the tally.

It was a case of job done for Wednesday, and a pleasing start to their League One campaign against opposition who, although favourites for the drop, will have been well up for this one on the season opener.

Full-Time: Wednesday 2-0 Dag & Red

Wednesday: Weaver, Buxton, Purse, Beevers, Spurr, Sedgwick, O’Connor (Potter 65), Coke, Teale (Jones 83), Tudgay, Morrison (Mellor 63). Unused substitutes: Jameson, Heffernan, Palmer, Otsemobor.

Daggers: Roberts, McCrory, Doe, Arber, Green (Nurse 65), Tomlin (Scott 73), Benson, Ogogo, Vincelot, Lewis, Gain (Scannell 87). Unused substitutes: Lewington, Antwi, Currie, Gwillim.