Sheff Wed Home Report

Crewe secured their third win from 4 games with a dominant performance. Wednesday’s fans filled both of the away stands, even causing some of their fans to infiltrate the home end.

The game began in an expectantly tense fashion, as both sides looked to take the upper hand. For the opening 20 minutes, the sides battled evenly, though it was the Owls who had the clearest of the early chances. Bougherra had been fooled by the trickery of McGovern, who subsequently layed up Glenn Whelan, though fortunately, Whelan’s shot was wayward from 20 yards. The second of their early chances was less straight forward, as Deon Burton hit the side net from an increasingly tight angle.

Crewe made the most of Wednesday’s poor finishing, proceeding to dominate the majority of the rest of the game in convincing fashion. Shortly after Burton’s miss, Steve Jones looked set to give Crewe the lead with a sweetly struck volley though Carson superbly tipped it over the bar. Kenny Lunt accurately delivered the resulting corner, though Steve Foster could only direct the ball over the bar. The Wednesday fans were far from vociferous, though the same cannot be said for the Gresty Road End, or ‘our Kop’ as Dario described it in his pre-match notes.

The breakthrough arrived after 31 minutes. Steve Jones fed the loose ball into the path of the marauding Billy Jones, whose precise delivery allowed Gareth Taylor to slide in to give Crewe a vital lead. The goal instilled a further sense of confidence and assurance into Crewe’s play, as they created an abundance of chances in the remainder of the first half. Lunt picked out Bougherra from a corner, who, although having a free header, couldn’t quite convert as a combination of Carson and his full back kept it out.

Crewe’s second goal arrived in first half injury time, albeit under contested circumstances. Lee Bell fouled Burton O’Brien, though the referee played advantage as Wednesday were in possession. However, the advantage backfired as the Owls gave away possession, allowing Steve Jones to pick out Gareth Taylor, whose sublime header ensured Crewe had a comfortable cushion at half-time.

The first half performance led to a boisterous atmosphere in the bar at half-time, though many were wary of a second half backlash from Wednesday, who had failed to impose themselves. However, the Owls continued to lack spark as the second half progressed, with Crewe the dominant side until the 70th minute mark. Steve Jones did well to earn himself two presentable opporunities, though on both occasions he scuffed his shot wide of either post. Large question marks were being raised over the integrity of the referee – Clive Penton. Some very strange decisions were made, and both sides will feel an injustice at some of his decisions. Luke Rodgers was clean through on goal, with his electric pace causing the chasing Graham Coughlan to resort to what can only be described as a clumsy rugble tackle on the forward. Astonishingly, the referee claimed Coughlan had won the ball – even though it had been roughly 2 metres away from Coughlan. Coughlan would, and should, have been sent off for the tackle.

A sense of urgency finally arrived from Wednesday, who, in fairness, should have had a penalty. Burton was clumsily bundled over by Bougherra, though once again the referee suggested that Bougherra had got the ball – which he clearly hadn’t – not without taking the man first anyway. Wednesday inaccurately peppered shots in the rough direction of Crewe’s goal, though many were wayward, leaving boss Paul Sturruck visibly disappointed after the game.

Player Ratings

Ross Turnbull 7.5
Turnbull made one excellent save in the second half to ensure Crewe’s two goal lead wasn’t eroded. His handling in the wet conditions was superb, although he needs to communicate more with his defenders.

Jon Otsemobor 7.5
The defensive side of Semmy’s game appears to be improving all the time. Although more improvement is required, he has become a capable defender – on current from anyway. His elegant attacking play remains as pleasing on the eye as ever. Semmy showed excellent dribbling ability as he took on numerous Owls players, often beating them.

Steve Foster 7
Another good performance from Foster, who has struck an excellent partnership alongside Bougherra.

Madjid Bougherra 7.5
Madjid defended excellently in the first half, and was first to almost every ball floated in his direction. His distribution was equally impressive. Hertha Berlin scouts were reported to be watching Bougherra; let’s just hope that any onlooking scouts were paying attention as he made his only two mistakes of the afternoon.

Billy Jones 7
Billy got forward superbly for the first goal, although his positioning wasn’t up to it’s usual high standards.

Lee Bell 6.5
Bell was once again industrious, and although he doesn’t stand out at the moment, his work-rate is an important factor in our defensive effort.

Kenny Lunt 7.5
Lunt’s set piece delivery was excellent, picking out a Crewe man on numerous occasions. Although not as influential going forward as in recent weeks, Lunt defended well in midfield.

Tony Grant 7.5
Another very good performance from grant. Grant’s composure was eminently noticable throughout the game, and his composure was a big reason for Crewe’s dominance.

Steve Jones 6.5
Jonah worked fairly hard for most of the afternoon. His touch let him down on occasions, though his pace was once again troublesome for the opposition. Jonah did well for the second goal, though his finishing was nothing short of woeful throughout. Perhaps surprising that David Vaughan didn’t replace him.

Luke Rodgers 7
Luke worked hard once again, and his movement is improving with every game. He looks to have developed an understanding with Gareth Taylor, ensuring he is there to pick up most of Taylor’s flick-ons.

Gareth Taylor 8
Man of the Match Taylor took his two goals well, especially his second goal. He held the ball up well, and won his flick-ons. If Taylor can prove that these two goals were no fluke, then he would be an asset in next year’s campaign.

Sub: Luke Varney 6
No time to impress