“Tough pill to swallow”

Plymouth Argyle boss Tom Cleverley said it was ‘cruel’ to be losing at half-time after wasteful finishing against Sheffield Wednesday.

The Pilgrims were the better team in the first 45 minutes, missing big chances and being denied by Joe Lumley. But a deflected Billy Mitchell strike from a second phase from a Barry Bannan corner meant Wednesday led.

“Certainly at half-time, that was one of the most frustrated or cruel (feelings I have had),” Cleverley told BBC Radio Devon. “This sport, many times in my career you don't get what you deserve. To not be leading and to be losing at half-time was a tough pill to swallow. We certainly shouldn't be losing. And not only did it knock our confidence, you could see them grow in confidence. In the second half, I thought we got a little bit messy where they're maybe not bringing the game to us as much, meaning they're we're a bit more expansive and they're good on transition.

“We've been beaten three-nil. It's certainly not a three-nil game. But the big regret is coming in at half-time losing. We didn't even get a chance to see what the impact of the start of the second-half could have on them, and yeah, that's really disappointing. It didn't really feel like a three-nil, but nevertheless, it was.”

Wednesday improved after the break and as the game became stretched, goals from Davis Keillor-Dunn - which came from another set-play - and a superb individual strike from Di’Shon Bernard sealed a good win but the scoreline perhaps did not tell the full story.

“It's a great football club, and it's one that's waiting to take off,” Cleverley said of Wednesday. “Now, I felt like we did everything to suppress that (support) today in the first-half, and then we were just one final clinical action away from really making it a difficult afternoon for them and their supporters, but we didn't manage to have that calmness in front of goal.”

Just like Wednesday, Argyle arrived with several injuries, but Cleverley pointed at the fact The Owls welcomed back the likes of Joe Lumley and Liam Cooper.

“That's some boost,” he added. “I think it was a tale of two injury lists: one getting a lot healthier and one getting a lot unhealthier this week. It's a big boost for them getting those guys back and the quality and hundreds and hundreds of Championship game experience. But even with that, they looked a little bit unsure, and the guys did great to take them to places they didn't want to go to in the first-half.”