Sheffield Wednesday put a run of seven successive home games without a victory behind them on Saturday as they posted a 2-1 win over Championship basement side Peterborough United to extend Alan Irvine’s fine start as the new Owls manager.
A goal in each half from Marcus Tudgay saw Wednesday home and although the victory wasn’t a comprehensive one they could have had the points wrapped up in more comfortable fashion had they taken their chances with Leon Clarke spurning a couple of good second half opportunities.
Jake Livermore scored to give Peterborough a lifeline with 15 minutes left, meaning that the Owls earlier missed chances left them with a nervy finish but they held on to secure their third win out of three under the new boss, all of them coming by the same score line.
The Owls travel to Scunthorpe in midweek before facing Plymouth at Hillsborough next Saturday and with both sides now sitting below Wednesday in the table positive results in these two matches could have the Owls looking up towards mid-table rather than at the club’s languishing in and around the bottom three, something that would have seemed almost an impossibility only a couple of weeks ago.
As the manager himself has indicated, Wednesday are far from out of the woods yet and a lapse in form or undue complacency in these upcoming games would see them dragged back into the thick of the relegation zone but for the first time in a long time the team is giving is supporters reason for optimism.