Wednesday’s recent upsurge in form was left in tatters after a second-half collapse saw us crash to a 6-2 Hillsborough defeat at the hands of Watford this afternoon.
We had looked the superior side in the first 45 minutes, creating the better chances, and could count ourselves unfortunate not to be ahead at the break.
However, two early penalties after the interval put the visitors in control and they piled on the agony with three more goals to hit us for six and leave a final scoreline that would never have been predicted at half time.
We had begun the game on the front foot, forcing early corners and missing two good openings to take the lead inside the first seven minutes.
Both opportunities fell to Di’Shon Bernard, the defender heading wide from a Marvin Johnson cross and then doing likewise soon afterwards from Shea Charles’ free kick.
The visitors gradually began to find their feet and we fell behind on the half-hour, poor defending allowing Kwadwo Baah to get to the byline and pull the ball back for Ryan Porteous to turn the ball past James Beadle from close range.
However, Watford held the lead for just three minutes, Johnson crossing low from the left and the in-form Michael Smith sidefooting home from 10 yards.
Barry Bannan then nearly put us in front when his effort from the edge of the box curled just wide.
And we went even closer a minute before the break, Josh Windass dummying from another Johnson centre and then being on the spot to receive the ball back from Smith, only being denied by a block from keeper Daniel Bachmann.
Inexplicably, we began the second half sluggishly and found ourselves 3-1 down within 12 minutes of the restart … both goals coming from penalties.
With 52 minutes on the clock, Bernard handled as he attempted to head clear and Tom Ince sent Beadle the wrong way from the spot.
Worse followed soon afterwards when Dominic Iorfa was adjudged to have brought down Vakoun Bayo and the same player stepped up to fire home down the middle of the goal.
Wednesday just could not rediscover any of the passing and rhythm of the first half and nine minutes later Bayo headed home with our defence in disarray.
Pol Valentin gave us the faintest hope of an unlikely fightback when he turned Jamal Lowe’s cross into the net at the far post to make it 4-2 with eight minutes remaining.
However, with Watford by this time looking like they would score with almost every attack, Bayo had the last say as he added his third and fourth goals in the 84th and 88th minutes to complete a dreadful second-half showing from the Owls.
The heavy defeat sees us drop down to 18th place in the Championship on 15 points, with another home game against Norwich on Tuesday evening before next Sunday’s derby clash at Bramall Lane.
Beadle, Palmer, Iorfa (M Lowe 73), Bernard, Johnson, Valery, S Charles (Valentin 66), Bannan, Gassama (J Lowe 66), Windass (Musaba 73), Smith (Ugbo 73). Unused subs: P. Charles, Otegbayo, Ingelsson, Paterson. Att: 25,693.