Professional Sheffield Wednesday march into next FA Cup draw - too hot to handle for Morecambe

Darren Moore made no secret of his desire to progress in this competition when he was speaking to the media earlier in the week, and his starting XI did nothing to suggest otherwise.

He named a strong side at Hillsborough as they sought to book their spot in the second round, and they came up trumps as both Josh Windass and Alex Mighten got goals in either half to secure a 2-0 win over Morecambe and another home win.

Josh Windass from range!

Moore made the decision to leave Windass out against Burton Albion the other night, opting to give him a rest and hand his place to one of the players itching to get out on the pitch.

Many would have thought that, with it being a cup game, the attacker might be left out once again, but the boss seemingly saw it as an opportunity to keep him up to speed, but also as a way to get him back in the goals against a Morecambe side they were expected to beat.

Windass had only scored once since the 3-0 win at the Mazuma Stadium, but he always felt like he was on the brink of changing that, and he certainly looked confident as he wound back his right foot in the 29th minute.

Power, swerve and precision from him to bend it into the far post – and he’ll be hoping that that’s the first of a few to come as 2022 comes to an end.

More like Mighten

There was plenty of fanfare from supporters when Wednesday snapped up Alex Mighten from Nottingham Forest… He was a Premier League player that played plenty of games in the Championship – but, in truth, he’s not shown enough of what he can do so far.

Tonight, though, there was more on offer.

He was quick, he looked dangerous, he was direct when it came to running at his fullback, and he came close to scoring on more than one occasion even before he made it 2-0 with a very composed finish.

Mighten doesn’t really fit into the side unless they play with wingers, but – if he can play like he did tonight in a front three – then it will certainly give Moore something else to think about.

Big Bakinson

It was a really astute performance in the heart of midfield for the tall former Bristol City man… He read things so well, used his body nicely when under pressure, and was always looking to try and break the lines for Wednesday as they tried to put the game to bed.

He was tidy on the ball, won it back well when required, and will be very pleased with his latest Owls outing.

Ruthlessness is needed though

A win is a win, and 2-0 is as comfortable a victory as they deserved, but there were still so many chances missed by a wasteful Wednesday that really should have put the game to bed earlier.