A Josh Windass wonder goal from his own half grabbed the headlines as Wednesday registered a 4-2 victory over Derby at Hillsborough this afternoon.
The Windass ‘worldie’ came just after the hour with the Owls leading 1-0 and was the first of three goals for us inside 13 minutes as Wednesday bounced back from defeat at Preston on Sunday and completed a quickfire Championship double over Derby, having beaten the Rams at Pride Park at the start of December.
We rode our luck at times, particularly in the first half, with some nervous defending which brought a string of fine saves out of James Beadle to protect our 1-0 lead and the three points also takes us back up to ninth place in the Championship, three points away from the final play-off spot.
Wednesday looked good in the opening exchanges and went ahead after just eight minutes.
Djeidi Gassama found Shea Charles down the right and when the latter pulled the ball back from the byline, keeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom could only help the low cross into the path of Barry Bannan who netted from six yards.
However, after that flying start it was Derby who began to create chances, particularly from set pieces, and the first came when James Beadle failed to hold onto a corner but Kane Wilson headed over from inside the six-yard box in the ensuing scramble.
With 20 minutes gone, Beadle produced the first of his excellent stops, denying Wilson with a tipover save after poor defending and then keeping out a Nat Phillips header from the following corner.
And Derby almost got an equaliser in added time in the first half, Max Lowe inadvertently heading on a cross to the far post where Jerry Yates sent his shot against the woodwork from six yards out.
We began the second half strongly, Charles seeing a 20-yarder pushed away by Widell Zetterstrom and Gassama heading against the post from a Charles’ cross.
Then, with 61 minutes on the clock came the piece of magic from Josh Windass that, in effect, firmly turned the game in Wednesday’s favour.
Windass picked up a pass from Michael Smith well inside his own half and with seemingly no chance of a strike for goal.
However, he had other ideas as he advanced to the edge of the centre circle, still in our half, spotted Widell Zetterstrom well off his line, and clipped an exquisite shot over the retreating keeper and high into the net to make it 2-0.
The stadium was left stunned by the quality of such a goal and it was the launch pad for two more Wednesday goals in the following 14 minutes – sandwiched by one from Derby.
Two minutes after the Windass strike, Gassama grabbed his own solo goal, outstripping the Derby defence in a run from the our half before slipping the ball past Widell Zetterstrom from 12 yards.
At 3-0 ahead, the Owls let Derby back into the game five minutes later, Dominic Iorfa failing to deal with a low cross from ex-Owl Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Jerry Yates turning the ball home from close-in.
There were danger signs still there as Wednesday continued to struggle to deal with some of Derby’s forward play but sub Anthony Musaba eased the nerves in the majority of the 31,000 crowd on 74 minutes when he was sent clear by Shea Charles and, although the keeper blocked his first effort, Musaba turned home the rebound to make it 4-1.
Ebou Adams volleyed home a second consolation goal for the Rams in stoppage time as Wednesday failed to clear but the day belonged to Windass and his remarkable strike.
Beadle, Iorfa, Bernard, M. Lowe, Johnson (Otegbayo 46), Chalobah (Windass 46), S. Charles, Bannan (Musaba 59), Ingelsson, Gassama (Paterson 73), Ugbo (Smith 57). Unused subs: P. Charles, Palmer, Valentin, J. Lowe. Attendance: 31,056.