Sheffield Wednesday make club history as Morecambe are brushed aside in comprehensive Hillsborough win

To say it was a fast start for the hosts would be an understatement… It took Barry Bannan less than a minute to open the scoring for the Owls, with George Byers’ hard work down the right being rewarded by a calm finish from the skipper inside the box.

It took a slight nick off the Morecambe defender, but those that braved a cold Hillsborough evening didn’t care a jot. They couldn’t have asked for a better opening spell.

The Shrimps’ aim would’ve been to hold out as long as possible, Derek Adams said beforehand how much of a shock it would be, mentioning the difference in budgets between the teams and how they simply didn’t have the same calibre of player.

The Owls took complete control after taking the lead. Keeping the ball and pushing for a second that’d, effectively, put the game to bed.

They got it 21 minutes later after some lovely work from Marvin Johnson. He drove down the left, cut it inside to find Michael Smith, and while his touch may have been going wide, Josh Windass made sure that it instead found the back of the net from close range. That’s his 12th goal of the season in all competitions.

Cameron Dawson may as well have had a deckchair on the night, but he made sure he stayed focused and got down low in the 23rd minute, saving Michael Mellon’s low effort from close range. It was a wake-up call of sorts for the hosts.

It remained their only chance in the first half, bar a freekick that was won when Bannan clipped the heels of his former teammate, Liam Shaw, after a great run from midfield. The Owls skipper got a booking, and the freekick flew well over the bar.

Half time came and went, but there was concern for midfield dynamo, George Byers, as he limped off at the break and was replaced by Fisayo Dele-Bashiru. It may be precautionary, but we’ll have to wait and see on that.

Wednesday’s dominance waned in the second 45. While they didn’t really look like conceding, they never really looked like getting back on the scoresheet again either. A lacklustre start could have been punished by a singular Cole Stockton chance, but his effort was tame and absolutely no problem for Cam Dawson.

It felt like it was pretty much ‘job done’ for Moore’s side, and after Byers’ injury there was maybe a reluctance to throw too much into it with the game practically won.

Tyreeq Bakinson came on for Bannan with 15 minutes or so left on the clock, and the result just didn’t seem in any doubt. And if it was, Dele-Bashiru and Windass made sure that it was well and truly put to bed in the 87th minute.

A superb driving run from FDB saw him power into the box, and he put it on a plate for Windass to get his 20th goal contribution of the season in all competitions.

It stayed that way, giving Cameron Dawson another clean sheet and Wednesday their 18th of the season. A new club record, and with 16 games left to play.