Sheffield Wednesday enjoyed a dream start to the new season as they thrashed Plymouth Argyle on home soil.
Fans had high expectations of the squad after a full preseason schedule under Danny Rohl, and they certainly didn’t disappoint.
Sheffield Wednesday dominated the Pilgrims from kick-off, but struggled to challenge the goalkeeper in the opening half an hour.
Jamal Lowe opened the floodgates shortly after though, with a pinpoint pass from Svante Ingelsson allowing the Jamaican to score the opener on his competitive debut.
The Owls were then handed a bit of luck when a header from Lowe across the box was nodded in by Plymouth’s Brendan Galloway, but a 2-0 lead was certainly deserved for the hosts.
Wednesday picked up where they left off in the second half and continued to ask questions of Plymouth’s backline, with Josh Windass getting off the mark in the final 10 minutes of the match.
It was a brilliant performance from Rohl’s side in their Championship opener, earning 60% of the possession and racking up 22 shots at Hillsborough.
Here is how the players rated –
James Beadle – 6
A very relaxed afternoon for Beadle on his return to Hillsborough. The goalkeeper only had to make one save and could well have gone for an early shower at half-time.
Yan Valery – 8
It was an exceptional debut for the Frenchman, who had earned Rohl’s trust as he took Pol Valentin’s place at right-back.
Valery was electric getting forward and combined brilliantly with both Svante Ingelsson and Djeidi Gassama.
He was also rock solid at the back – making two clearances, three interceptions and five tackles.
Di’Shon Bernard – 6
Bernard didn’t have a great deal to do at the back, but kept the likes of Morgan Whittaker quiet.
He had an acrobatic attempt to score in the first half and perhaps could have done better with his header in the second, but no complaints about his performance overall.
Dominic Iorfa – 6
Like Bernard, Iorfa didn’t have much defending to do. He did well to keep out Ibrahim Cissoko, who was easily Plymouth’s biggest threat down Wednesday’s right-hand side.
Max Lowe – 7
Looked very assured on the left of the back four. He did well to get forward on the overlap and worked well with Anthony Musaba, while he was relatively untroubled defensively.
The 27-year-old made one clearance, one interception and three tackles on his debut.
Svante Ingelsson – 9
It was an absolutely exceptional debut for the Swede, who proved to be a huge threat down the right.
The midfielder picked up a well-deserved assist for Lowe’s opener, and worked hard all over the pitch until he was taken off. Comfortably the Owls’ man of the match.
Barry Bannan – 8
Bannan is ageing like a fine wine. The midfielder put on another classy display, spraying some brilliant balls up the pitch and creating some excellent chances.
The veteran made three key passes, completed four crosses and won 83% of his ground duels.
Josh Windass – 8
Windass picked up where he left off after scoring in three successive matches at the end of last season.
He worked tirelessly in the middle of the park and picked up a deserved goal at the end of it.
Anthony Musaba – 8
Was another huge threat against the Pilgrims’ shaky defence and should have easy scored one or two. Perhaps a bit rusty on his return from preseason, but showed huge promise for the rest of the campaigin.
Djeidi Gassama – 8
The winger looked extremely lively after a rather inconsistent debut season at the club.
Plymouth couldn’t handle Gassama out wide as he made four key passes and completed 100% of his crosses.
Jamal Lowe – 8
The attacker was fairly quiet before netting the opener, but his positioning for the goal is exactly what has been asked of him.
Lowe lit up after he had got off the mark and deserves to take some credit for Galloway’s own goal.
He really impressed on his debut and it will be interesting to see if he takes Gassama’s place once Ike Ugbo is fit.
Substitutes: Marvin Johnson 6, Olaf Kobacki 6, Pol Valentin 6, Michael Smith 7, Liam Palmer N/A