Sheffield Weds 1 Aston Villa 0: Fernando Forestieri ensures Owls are up and running

Since Barnsley became the first club of the new Millennium to miss out in what even back then was the richest game in world football, only four beaten finalists have bounced back to win promotion the following season.

Eight of those – including not just Barnsley but also Leeds United and Sheffield United – are still waiting for that elusive passport back to the Premier League.

Clearly, therefore, Sheffield Wednesday have a big job on their hands to buck that trend in the coming months.

Yesterday, however, Carlos Carvalhal’s men got off to a perfect start with a late winner from Fernando Forestieri ensuring the Owls’ bid to go one better this time around was kick-started by all three points.

The Italian capitalised on a woeful sliced clearance by Villa goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini to race clear and then finish past his countryman.

It came at the end of a pulsating second half in which play had raged from one end to the other and chances had come along with more frequency than even Pakistan wickets at Edgbaston in Villa’s home city.

Either side could have won the game during those frantic second 45 minutes, but the fact it was Wednesday who toughed it out to prevail suggests that any fears that the players are still feeling sorry for themselves after losing out to Hull City in such heart-breaking fashion at Wembley can be banished.

“I had said before the game that we were ready for the competition,” said head coach Carvalhal, “and that we are trying to operate with an improved team compared to last season.

“Wembley was not a negative for us. We had a memorable season. We don’t need to forget anything about the past, it is the opposite.”

Considering last season ended in hugely disappointing fashion for both clubs, it was testament to the healing powers of the summer months that the atmosphere was positively bouncing inside Hillsborough from the moment the players emerged from the tunnel. Around 4,500 fans had made the trip north from the Midlands and they were in good voice, as were their home counterparts as the song that had been the soundtrack to that magnificent Wembley support was given plenty of airings.

“To the Premier League, we’re on our way,” is a big statement of intent and one that the Owls players clearly want to live up to.

The winning goal may have come via a mistake, but the required determination and desire running through the home side was evident throughout.

Never was this more apparent than in the 75th minute when Ross McCormack, making his debut following a £12m switch from Fulham, looked to be through on goal.

“I thought he would score,” admitted Villa manager Robert Di Matteo afterwards.

Tom Lees, however, had other ideas and threw himself into a tackle that was inch-perfect in every way to deny his former Leeds United team-mate.

The grateful slaps on the back that greeted Lees as he got to his feet told their own story and 10 minutes later that tackle’s true value was revealed when Forestieri struck with the winner.

There appeared little danger when the ball came to Gollini about 15 yards from his goal.

The Italian clearly wanted to hit the ball long, but got his angles all wrong. As the ball looped towards Tommy Elphick, he attempted a clearing back header but could only find Forestieri. From the moment the Italian raced clear to face Gollini, there seemed only one likely outcome.

Sure enough, Forestieri made no mistake to send the home fans into raptures and seal Wednesday’s sixth opening weekend win in the past nine years.

That it came against a Villa side who showed sufficient promise to suggest the doom-mongers predicting a tough campaign only added to the feelgood factor around S6 at the final whistle.

Certainly, the Owls will not come up against a forward with McCormack’s track record or the ability of Jordan Ayew.

The Ghanaian, last season’s top scorer at Villa Park, is wanted by West Bromwich Albion and on yesterday’s showing it is easy to see why.

Twice in the first half he showed tremendous trickery to glide past a scrum of Owls players, while his dispossessing of Barry Bannan in centre midfield led to the most promising of what few chances were created in a first half long on slick passing but short of genuine gilt-edged opportunities.

Ayew was presented with that chance by Leandro Bacuna, but he could only head straight at Westwood. It was a let-off for a Wednesday side that had gone close twice in first-half stoppage time, Forestieri firing just over and Daniel Pudil forcing a save from Gollini.

Those two late, late chances served as a fitting taster of what the 30,060 crowd could expect after the break as the pace quickened and the chances began to flow.

Apart from McCormack being denied by Lees, Villa also went close through Rudy Gestede, Alan Hutton and Michael Elphick.

Wednesday, meanwhile, could look back on similarly spurned opportunities before Forestieri struck with his late winner.

Forestieri was guilty of wasting one of those gilt-edged openings after being found by the tireless Kieran Lee only to then over-elaborate with goalkeeper Gollini caught out of position.

The Villa goalkeeper did deny Forestieri with a fine save just after the interval, while Daniel Pudil’s dart down the wing and low cross deserved a team-mate to be on hand to take advantage.

As that ball flashed across the face of goal, the fear was that Wednesday may have to settle for a point.

Then, though, the player Carvalhal describes as “our special killer” delivered to ensure Wednesday’s promotion push got off to a perfect start.