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Owls strike duo are felled from grace - MATCH REPORT AND SLIDE SHOW
Nottingham Forest 2 Tyson (34), Chambers (75) Sheffield Wednesday 1 Johnson (27)
STRIKE partners Francis Jeffers and Marcus Tudgay were two of the heroes of the Owls' 4-1 romp against Charlton – but last night they fell from grace.
Jeffers' 39th minute sending-off and a bad miss by Tudgay just after half time were key moments in the defeat at Forest.
Wednesday led with a goal by Jermaine Johnson and though the home side quickly equalised there was every hope that it could be the Owls' night.
The red card made their task more formidable, but even with 10 men they were the better side for long periods.
If Tudgay had scored with a header just after half time then at least a point would have been on the cards. And such was Wednesday's superiority at times that it was hard to avoid the conclusion that with a full side they could have won.
Only after going 2-1 up from a set piece in the 75th minute did Forest get on top of a tiring Owls side and seal their fifth win in six games.
A corner gave Wednesday a deserved lead in the 28th minute. Darren Potter's cross from the right was headed firmly downwards and towards goal by Richard Wood, and Johnson diverted the ball into the roof of the net from close range with a flick of the boot.
Teams are often vulnerable after going behind and that was the case in the 34th minute when Wednesday were opened up by a good ball from midfield player Gareth McCleary, and Nathan Tyson made an astute run to get free in the inside right position and strike cleanly into the roof of the net from just inside the area.
There was nothing dramatic about the match until Jeffers, nobody's idea of a hatchet man, got his marching orders.
I thought his tackle on Forest left back Joe Heath was late and clumsy but almost certainly not malicious. The defender was shaping to clear the ball up the line near the halfway line and Jeffers perhaps thought he could win the ball; he made a short sprint and lunged into the opponent – but the ball had gone and Heath was hurt.
It was the sort of challenge that sometimes brings a booking when it is a first offence – especially if the offender is a home player. But a furious reaction by Forest players and the home crowd result preceded the red card.
The incident was on the side of the pitch opposite to the Press Box so media men on the night did not get the best of views. Nor did the managers.
Rather than play with one striker, Brian Laws went 4-3-2 and moved Johnson up front from the wing.
Wednesday played out the rest of the first half comfortably and should have gone ahead after a 46th minute foul on Tudgay by Ian Breckin for which the centre-half was booked.
Michael Gray whipped the right-side free kick to the far post where Tudgay was unmarked. The striker who scored two against Charlton had an easy chance but headed the ball downwards at too steep an angle; it hit the ground and bounced over the bar.
The Owls stuck with their positive formation and created a half chance: a long free-kick by Lee Grant was flicked on by the head of Tudgay, and Johnson, tightly marked, hooked a shot at the keeper.
Wednesday were not only holding firm; they were taking the initiative. They had calm heads, in general. Johnson's pace was an asset, and there was know-how from Gray on the right of the three-man midfield.
Laws's intention was clear – to try to win the game, not just preserve a point.
He also sent on fresh legs up front by replacing Johnson with Clarke in the 70th minute.
Forest were not helped by the 55th minute loss of 11-goal top scorer Robert Earnshaw but from a lovely move, their best of the second half, Tyson fired in a low shot from the right and Grant made a typically expert save at his near post.
Two minutes later, however, Wednesday were undone. Midfielder Lewis McGugan delivered a high and swift free-kick from the right and right back Luke Chambers leapt to divert a firm header into Grant's bottom right-hand corner.
It could have become 3-1 soon afterwards but Grant beat away an 18-yard strike from sub forward Joe Garner.
Tudgay was taken off and the Owls finished with Wade Small and Clarke up front.
The momentum had passed to Forest, however, and after one final charge by the Owls in the dying moments, and a glaring miss by Forest sub Matt Thornhill, Brian Laws's unbeaten managerial record against his former club was at an end.
Manager's View
I felt we deserved something. It's always difficult when you go down to 10 men but in the first half we controlled it; from their only shot on target of that period they got a goal.
Our players were confident. They moved the ball well. We looked dangerous.
Was it a sending-off? It was the fastest I've seen the ref move all night. I don't think Francis Jeffers has a nasty bone in him. He's slid in. He's got a foot slightly raised. We have to accept the fact that the ref has made that decision.
I said at half-time I wanted to keep two strikers up. I wanted to win the game; we could have sat back. For the first 20 minutes of the second half, who had the 10 men? It didn't look like we had.
We had an opportunity with Tudgay. He should have buried that. It was one of the simplest chances. Of course Forest got that goal; I don't think they deserved that; then they started to play for the first time in the game.
We tired and we had to take risks. Our players worked their socks off.
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
