Wednesday went through 4-2 on penalties in our Carabao Cup first round tie after a poor goalless draw at Walsall this afternoon.
It was a largely lifeless display from the Owls and, while division two Walsall rarely tested Cameron Dawson, it wasn’t until the last half-hour that we showed any attacking threat.
We scored all four of our penalties – Barry Bannan, Josh Windass, Kadeem Harris and Izzy Brown netting – while Dawson saved Walsall’s second spot kick from Josh Gordon and then Alfie Bates hit their fourth effort against the bar, giving Brown the chance to seal a second round spot with our fourth kick.
Wednesday, with no recognised striker in the starting line-up, failed to get a shot on target until the 63rd minute when sub Matt Penney forced a diving save from Liam Roberts, and that was the signal for us to finally create some goalscoring opportunities.
Massimo Luongo knocked the ball wide from close range when he should have done better from Penney’s dangerous cross and it was ‘Sky Sports Man of the Match’ Penney who came closest to breaking the deadlock twice in the final 15 minutes, firing too high from just outside the box and then heading over from Brown’s cross to the far post.
Brown also crossed the ball from inside the area when he might have taken on the shot himself and that signalled the penalty shootout, with Wednesday clinching that second round place 4-2.
Dawson, Borner, Lees, Iorfa, Harris, Odubajo (Penney 60), Bannan, Dele-Bashiru (Rhodes 77), Luongo, Brown, Reach (Windass 65). Unused subs. Wildsmith, Van Aken, Pelupessy, Hunt.