Owls sharpen up

Brian Laws's plan did not quite pay off for Deon Burton and Akpo Sodje but the Owls manager described last night's 2-1 Hillsborough win against Hull as "positive" for all - including other senior players who were given run-outs.

Jeffers and Tudgay got the goals, while the team also include two members of last Saturday's side, Lee Bullen and Peter Gilbert, and two of those who went on as subs in the defeat by Leicester, Mark Beevers and Burton O'Brien.

Jermaine Johnson played a full game in the Pontins League encounter after serving a one-match ban last weekend.

The four strikers played for periods varying from 32 to 55 minutes, with Jeffers and Burton starting and Sodje and Tudgay coming on from the bench.

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The Owls took no risks: restricting the appearances of Burton and Sodje as a precautionary measure; Burton took a slight ankle knock, and Sodje felt a tightness in his groin.

All the others in the Owls side had figured in the Championship campaign this season except for young right back Liam McMenamin.

Laws's decision to field so many senior players - especially the strikers - was swayed by the lack of League football this Saturday because of the international programme, and he was looking to help the forwards recover their scoring touch.

The Owls took the lead in the fifth minute, with Jeffers converting a close-range chance that was set up by Johnson, and adding to the winning goal that he hit against Hull in the League.

Hull equalised 10 minutes later when Stuart Elliott headed home a far-post cross from Nicky Featherstone.

Jeffers threatened to get more goals in the first half.

But Wednesday did make superiority count and went further ahead with another close-range effort, from Tudgay, in the 74th minute.

Keeper Rob Burch, who lost his first-team place again to Lee Grant last Saturday, did his bit by turning a Ben Wilkinson shot over the bar. The Owls have now won all four of their Reserve games this season.

OWLS: Burch; McMenamin, Beevers, Bullen, Gilbert; Johnson, Folly, Lunt, O'Brien; Jeffers (Sodje ht, Boden 77), Burton (Tudgay 35).Unused subs: O'Donnell, Kay.

Norwich, beaten by the Owls at Carrow Road recently, have followed a defeat by bottom club QPR by axing manager Peter Grant.

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