‘Sold down the river’ ‘Forgettable night’ - Player ratings as Sheffield Wednesday collapse at Plymouth Argyle
Joe Crann
·3-min read
Couldn’t have done anything with first goal after Bundu’s brilliant strike took a nick on the way through, and wasn’t at fault for the second or third either. Still conceded three though on a tough night though.
The Owls haven’t won away at Plymouth since 2009, but a first half display showed signs of promise at Home Park as Danny Röhl’s side took it to the hosts and were the better of the two sides for sustained periods.
But they contrived to find themselves 2-0 down after a nightmarish end to the first stanza, Mustapha Bundu rifling home a freekick before Pol Valentin’s mistake let Morgan Whittaker double their lead.
The second half saw Plymouth take control, and another Owls error in midfield led to Ryan Hardie making it three, and now the rock bottom Owls find themselves 11 points adrift of safety - it’s not even November yet.
Got up and down the line well on occasion, but his defensive work left a lot to be desired and it was his loose pass that gifted Whittaker the chance to double the hosts’ lead and effectively seal the game.
Here’s how we rated the players on a torrid, wet night in Devon:
It was his foul that led to the freekick opener, and he was sold down the river a little for the second. Showed good positioning on other occasions, but another forgettable night at the back for Wednesday.
Battled hard enough but was still part of an Owls backline that seemed to collapse after falling behind. Plymouth seemed to find space way too easily.
Showed some good bits of play as he was chosen as the first choice left back once again, but for all his strong work defensively he didn’t seem to offer too much going forward.
Should probably have had a couple of assists in a really productive first half. His touch let him down a couple of times, but was a real threat down the right and caused genuine problems for Plymouth. Came off just after the hour mark.
Back in the Wednesday XI and looked strong in the first half, helped dictate matters in the heart of the pitch but like others saw a dip after falling behind. Got caught in possession for the third goal.
Still not at his best, but even tonight managed to make more key passes than any other player on the pitch. Got taken off towards the end.
The midfielder was really busy in the first half, nipping at the heels of Plymouth at every opportunity and helping with the high press. A solid showing before the two goals - and was then taken off at the break.
Played a big part in Wednesday’s promising first half showing and tried to get things moving in the second half too, but to no avail. Had one really good chance that he couldn’t keep down.
Had Wednesday best chance of the first half after being found in the box by Musaba, but couldn’t keep his strike down. Worked really hard in the press and dropped into play to try and get things ticking.
Barely had a sniff in the second half after being brought on for Buckley, but a lot of that wasn’t his fault. Worked hard but had barely any service.
Came on in an attempt to get back into the game, but wasn’t able to get to grips with matters - a crossfield ball that went out of play from an advanced position summed up the last 55 minutes or so for Wednesday.
Probably the most effective sub that was made, but there was a still a lack of end product. Did make himself busy, but wasn’t able to turn things around.
Came on late for Bannan.
A late substitute in place of Byers.
Sheffield Wednesday were beaten by Plymouth Argyle at Home Park.
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