Sheffield Wednesday 2 Plymouth Argyle 4: Fans desert home-coming after abysmal Owls display

The Owls had gone down heavily to the club sitting bottom of the League One table and docked 10 points by the Football League for entering administration.

After five consecutive away trips, including good results in the last two against Bournemouth and Carlisle United, it should have been a ‘home-coming party’ but thousands of supporters headed home long before the end instead.

Megson, appointed manager a month ago, had not picked the team for a home game until this weekend and was understandably angry at the manner in which his side fell short.

“It was absolute chalk and cheese from what we have seen in the last two games,” he said. “We didn’t play anywhere near the same kind of football and quality with exactly the same group of players.”

Asked about the dressing room inquest, he said: “We have been talking about what the reasons are, and what they think the reasons are.

“I am always frank and I always say what I think. I just wanted some input from them as well. What was said stays in the dressing room – but all that stuff is only really of any consequence in the the next game.

“Seven days have elapsed from a really good performance at Carlisle to an abysmal performance in the first 45 minutes,” he added.

“The supporters who went to Bournemouth and Carlisle will know that. Those who didn’t travel have seen a performance that individually and collectively was not acceptable.”

Megson kept an unchanged side after the Owls ended a sequence of 10 games without a win against Carlisle.

During those last five games on the road, he had been able to formulate a better opinion of the players at his disposal and the best way to line them up.

As a measure of change, only three who started against Plymouth had also started the last home game against Milton Keynes Dons, namely Reda Johnson, Gary Teale and Gary Madine.

Megson, who was on the touchline that afternoon, has also introduced a new formation – scrapping 4-4-2 and employing a five-man midfield that has loanee Isaiah Osbourne sitting deep and Madine as a lone striker.

When Plymouth took the lead with just 12 minutes gone, however, Owls supporters could have been forgiven for thinking nothing had changed!

Showing the same lack of concentration that hindered former manager Alan Irvine’s attempts to secure results, players failed to mark up around the area and allowed Bondz N’Gala the time and space to curl a shot beyond the reach of Nicky Weaver.

Things got worse when Plymouth striker Joe Mason doubled the advantage on 31 minutes with a close-range header.

The scoreline at that stage was not a true reflection of the game as the Owls had carved out several opportunities between the Plymouth goals.

Winger Teale had delivered a couple of dangerous crosses and had also struck the crossbar with a decent shot from just inside the area.

Understandably deflated, there were shouts for Megson to deploy a second striker. This, however, paid scant regard to the fact that the team effectively had three players in attack whenever pushing forward.

The plain and simple truth was the Owls had too many players strolling around and not showing enough urgency.

Defensively, there were also worrying cracks at the back with Mark Beevers and Richard Hinds often flat-footed under pressure and Johnson nearly gift-wrapping a third goal to Onismor Bhasera before being rescued by Weaver.

Megson reacted at half-time by sending on all three of his permitted substitutes.

Clinton Morrison joined Madine in attack, Giles Coke replaced Liam Palmer in the middle of the pitch and Jermaine Johnson returned on the flank. Osbourne and Sedgwick were also stood down.

It was Johnson’s first appearance for six games after ‘dizzy spells’ led to a hospital admission. His return immediately gave the Owls added pace – as well as a few added frustrations.

The Jamaican international always unsettles opposition defenders but his passing is always a lottery.

Referee Iain Williamson rejected three appeals for penalties by the Owls as Madine was pushed and pulled over and Spurr was sent tumbling.

Eventually, the Owls did make a breakthrough with substitute Coke drilling the ball home from 18 yards.

It was only temporary relief, however, as Mason scored his second goal of the game for Plymouth just four minutes later.

Once again, the tightness of Wednesday’s marking was questionable, with Spurr sitting off, but Mason’s finish was also top class.

The Owls showed no real signs of staging a revival and, once Bolasie had scored Plymouth’s fourth with 10 minutes to go, it sparked a mass exodus among the Wednesdayites.

The Pilgrims, it should be stressed, are definitely not the worse side in the division and would only be a point behind the Owls but for their 10-point penalty.

Those fans who headed for the car-parks early missed a late consolation goal by defender Reda Johnson – against his former club – but, do not worry if you did, as it would not have lifted spirits enough to have made it worth the wait.

The Owls travel to Oldham Athletic tomorrow and, as Megson observed: “Sometimes when you fall off a horse, it is best to get straight back on.”