Wednesday took the lead but finished well beaten in a 3-1 defeat at Hull City this afternoon.

After matching the home side for much of the opening half we failed to replicate that in the second period and left Humberside with another reverse on the road.

Hull went close to opening the scoring on 11 minutes when Pierce Charles produced a fine block to deny Ollie McBurnie.

However, we took the lead on 23 minutes when Jamal Lowe squeezed his way through a clutch of Hull defenders inside the box before stabbing home from close range, via a deflection off Semi Ajayi.

Sadly, the lead only lasted a minute, Matt Crooks left unmarked six yards out and converting a low cross from Kyle Joseph.

Jarvis Thornton, set up by Svante Ingelsson, brought a diving save out of Ivor Pandur with a low effort from the edge of the box but then, just as we looked like going in all-square at the break, we conceded again in added time.

Paddy McNair swung in a free kick from the right and Dominic Iorfa headed past his own keeper in a crowded penalty area to make it 2-1.

Hull then increased their lead on 57 minutes when Tayo Adamarola lost possession, Hull broke forward and Joseph burst into the box to shoot past Charles.

Wednesday struggled to get back into the game after that, failing to threaten the Hull goal while the home side might have added to their tally in what, in the end, was a comfortable victory for the hosts.

Charles, Fusire, Iorfa (McGhee 84), Otegbayo, Palmer, Adaramola (M Lowe 62), Thornton (McNeill 62), Ingelsson (Chalobah 84), Heskey, J Lowe (Ndala 73), Yates. Unused subs: Stretch, Nakamba, Grainger, Ugbo.