Sheffield Wednesday's Under-23s beat Colchester United 4-1 to secure first league win

Sheffield Wednesday's Under-23s secured their first win of the season, beating Colchester United 4-1 at Bracken Moor this afternoon.
Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Liam Shaw in action against ColchesterSheffield Wednesday midfielder Liam Shaw in action against Colchester
Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Liam Shaw in action against Colchester

Goals either side of half-time from Jordan O'Brien, Liam Waldock and Ben Hughes (2) helped the Owls claim three points in a feisty contest in the Professional Development League.

Steven Haslam, the academy manager, told The Star: "We ran out very comfortable winners at the end but I think we could have played better, particularly in the first half where we could have played with more intensity and energy. I felt we could have closed the opposition down quicker and more effectively.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"The boys took that on board better in the second half and it was a good win."

Wednesday dominated the early stages, with Alex Hunt's 25 yard free kick forcing Callum Coulter into action. Coulter then made a smart stop to deny centre-half Osaze Urhoghide as the Owls pressed hard for the opener.

Omar Damba led the line for Wesnesday and saw a weak left foot drive comfortably saved by Coulter.

But against the run of play, the U’s almost broke the deadlock in the ninth minute when Louis Dunne rattled the crossbar with a stinging shot.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Hunt caught the eye with his diverse range of passing in midfield for the Owls and he was desperately unlucky not to get on the scoresheet after seeing a stunning long range free kick hit the post. Damba tapped home from close range but the strike was disallowed for offside.

A defensive slip by Urhoghide let in Freddie Hinds but the striker's delicate chip was superbly cleared away from near the goal line by Jack Lee.

Urhoghide and Joe West were yellow carded after clumsy fouls while Jamall Campbell-Ryce was booked following a heated exchange with Conor Grant.

With four minutes to until half-time, O'Brien showed good composure to fire the Owls in front.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But their joy was short-lived as Michael Fernandes rifled home from close ranger after Josh Render spilled a shot.

It was Wednesday who created the first opportunity after the restart through Shaw, who jinked his way to the edge of the penalty area before unleashing a fierce right foot drive which Coulter palmed to safety.

But the Owls deservedly regained the lead in the 65th minute, substitute Waldock firing home after good approach play by Fraser Preston.

Shaw drilled a low shot straight at Coulter before Preston's lob sailed high over the top as Wednesday pushed for a third.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Preston's finishing let him down again in the closing stages when he fired straight at Coulter when well-placed after a clever pull back by substitute Ben Hughes.

Winger Hughes increased the Owls’ lead in the 89th minute, cutting in from the left before confidently drilling a rasping right foot out of Coulter’s reach.

And Hughes bagged a fourth in added on time, tapping home from unmarked from inside the six-yard box after Jordan O’Brien squared the ball to him.

"I was very pleased with the subs," said Haslam. "When you make subs, you are looking for the boys to make an impact and that is what they did.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Hughesy came on and scored two and Liam Waldock came on and did a really good job in front of the back four and made us quite solid in there for the latter part of the game."

Next up for Wednesday's development squad is a trip to Queens Park Rangers on Friday.

Owls: Render; Brennan, Urhoghide, Lee, West; Hunt (Hughes 69), Grant; O'Brien, Shaw Preston; Damba (Waldock 63). Substitutes: Jackson, Borukov, Rice.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.