Morrison quick to ensure gamble by Irvine pays off

Like any striker, Morrison was keen to open his account for his new club as quickly as possible.

His goal arrived just 14 minutes into the new season and secured the Owls a 2-0 victory over Dagenham and Redbridge.

"It's always good to get off the mark as a striker because you want to be welcomed," he said.

"The longer it goes, the more you worry about that first goal."

Morrison, who has played international football for the Republic of Ireland, joined the Owls after being released by Coventry City this summer but was a surprise starter amid concerns about his match fitness.

Manager Alan Irvine opted for Morrison and Marcus Tudgay in attack with summer signings Neil Mellor and Paul Heffernan on the bench – Mellor replacing Morrison shortly after the hour-mark.

"I didn't expect to be playing but I've looked sharp in training this week so maybe the gaffer just decided to take a gamble and it's paid off," he said.

"I am nowhere near as fit as I want to be but after another four or five games I will be even better."

Despite his goal and the victory, Morrison was far from content with the Owls' overall performance.

"We played brilliant football for the first half an hour," he said.

"But then I don't think we played anywhere near. We gave the ball away cheaply and everything.

"There is a lot to improve on but the most important thing in the first game of the season is to get the three points.

"We want to be up there challenging this season," he stressed. "We didn't play the best but it will take time and it will get better."

Ironically, the Owls had not scored a goal in five pre-season games yet scored two in the space of two minutes on Saturday.

Morrison, who is renowned for a self-confidence that is sometimes mistaken for arrogance, could not help smiling when told of that statistic, saying: "Maybe that is because I didn't play much in pre-season." However, he quickly added: "No, no I am only joking!"

Morrison, 31, has scored in four of his five debuts during a career that started at Crystal Palace.

The only team he has not scored for on his debut was Coventry.

His debut goal for Palace was against Wednesday in a Premier League game at Selhurst Park and secured a 1-0 victory for the London club in May 1998.

Wednesday have suffered a blow with the news that winger Jermaine Johnson, meanwhile, has been ruled out of action for the next two months after scans confirmed that he tore medial knee ligaments during the club's final pre-season friendly against Doncaster Rovers nine days ago.