Sheffield Wednesday took on Derby County at Pride Park on Sunday afternoon, and we picked up on five things that Danny Rohl has to take away from the game, for better or worse.
After the win against Hull City on Tuesday night, Sheffield Wednesday had hoped to travel to Derby and gather some momentum by registering another away win.
Danny Rohl’s side were second best throughout the first half, and in many ways were the architects of their own downfall as they went in behind at the break.
However, a brilliant comeback in the second half, with goals from Barry Bannan and a late winner from Jamal Lowe, sealed all three points for Wednesday in a crucial victory away from home.
- READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday player ratings after Derby County comeback win, Dominic Iorfa scores 4.5/10
Sloppy passing cost Sheffield Wednesday in first half
Derby County went in at the interval a goal to the good and very much in charge of the game, but it wasn’t necessarily down to anything special the Rams did.
In fact, Wednesday were behind largely due to their own inability to string a run of passes together, with so many unforced errors costing them possession time and time again.
You’re always going to find it difficult to have the majority of the ball away from home, but giving it away makes the challenge all the more frustrating.
| Statistic | Derby County 1st half | Sheffield Wednesday 1st half | Derby County 2nd half | Sheffield Wednesday 2nd half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Possession | 55% | 45% | 47% | 53% |
| Passes | 200 | 156 | 171 | 206 |
| Tackles | 15 | 6 | 6 | 11 |
| Shots | 4 | 1 | 9 | 9 |
Thankfully, that improved dramatically in the second half, with Sheffield Wednesday managing to turn the tide as the game went on, but Rohl will still want to ensure that kind of sloppy play doesn’t creep into their game again.
Sheffield Wednesday are short on centre-halves
With Di’Shon Bernard suspended for the Derby County clash, Dominic Iorfa stepped into his boots, but only lasted 45 minutes.
Iorfa coming off presented Rohl with a difficult decision, and led to the Sheffield Wednesday manager shuffling his defensive pack to revert to a back-four, including Shea Charles as a makeshift centre-half.
Obviously, that is far from ideal, and underpins just how short Wednesday are on defensive options right now, with Akin Famewo out injured until March, too.
The January transfer window is looming, and Rohl will no doubt be thinking about signing a new centre-back so that he doesn’t have to utilise Charles there again, as his presence and creativity will always be sorely missed in the middle of the park.
- READ MORE: Danny Rohl reveals what he said to Marvin Johnson before Sheffield Wednesday signed Max Lowe
Owls front three offered nothing for large portions of the game
Rohl went for a rotated front three of Anthony Musaba, Djeidi Gassama, and Michael Smith, but sadly, that roll of the dice did not prove to be at all fruitful.
Both Musaba and Gassama offered very little down the channels and were unable to find any kind of a killer ball or produce an opportunity for themselves.
Meanwhile, Smith continued to battle hard as the target man, but failed to register a single shot in his 79 minutes on the pitch.
It was only when Josh Windass and the game-changing Jamal Lowe were introduced that things started to open up a bit more for Wednesday, and Rohl will certainly be looking at the pair to start against Preston North End next weekend.
Barry Bannan has still got it
He may be 35-years-old now, but Barry Bannan is still a top quality player who continues to deliver for Sheffield Wednesday time and time again.
With the Owls trailing, Bannan produced a moment of magic in the 64th minute to score from about 25 yards out, lofting the ball over the Derby defenders on the line after a poor clearance.
The Wednesday captain really stepped up aside from his goal, though, and got the game by the scruff of the neck, dictating the flow of play in midfield, and was instrumental in helping his team secure the win in the end.
- READ MORE: Sheffield Wednesday player ratings after Derby County comeback win, Dominic Iorfa scores 4.5/10
Two wins in a row, finally, for Sheffield Wednesday
In the dying moments of the game, Sheffield Wednesday managed to steal the win thanks to some fine play from Callum Paterson and a neat finish by Jamal Lowe.
That makes it two wins away from home on the bounce for the Owls, and they’ve now done something they had so far failed to do all season: win consecutive matches.
Ultimately, Sheffield Wednesday deserved the three points after their rallying comeback, and it proves once again that Rohl has a team with incredible spirit, who are now slowly but surely climbing the Championship table.