Sheffield Wednesday 2 Peterborough 1: Irvine feared Owls complacency

For two goals from Owls top scorer Marcus Tudgay earned Wednesday their third successive 2-1 victory in a week to give new manager Alan Irvine a perfect start at his new club.

After a derby scrap against Barnsley, followed by a visit to high-flying Blackpool, Irvine had feared the wheels might come off the revival bandwagon as the Owls returned to face bottom-of-the-table Posh.

But there was no hint of complacency as 25,000 turned out to welcome the former Preston North End manager to S6, and were rewarded with a display which would have heralded more goals but for the inspired form of goalkeeper Joe Lewis.

Irvine said: "The players have been magnificent since I came into the club. I would have been satisfied with five points from the first three games because they were all very tough tests. To get nine is just fantastic so well done to the lads.

"But it's vital that we stay 100 per cent focussed. We have just had a week that has seen us pick up points and move up the table. We need to remember that a bad week could see us go back to where we were."

Tudgay, a summer target of Burnley, had come in for some criticism this season from Owls fans despite signing a new long-term contract. They perceived a barren run of luck in front of goal as an indication his heart wasn't at the club anymore.

But after his brace on Saturday, Tudgay revealed he was committed to the Hillsborough cause – despite constant speculation linking him with a big-money move to the Premier League before the January transfer window closes next week – and got a hefty pat on the back from Irvine.

"Marcus said that he's been getting some criticism from people who thought he didn't want to be here," said Irvine. "But he told me that nothing was further from the truth. He is totally committed to this football club and has certainly shown that with his performances in the three games so far. He has been fantastic, doing a lot of the work that maybe goes unnoticed but is crucial to the way we want to play the game."

If Leon Clarke and Luke Varney had shown a similar class of finishing on Saturday, a tense finale could have been avoided after Jake Livermore's late strike.

Darren Potter smashed his effort against the crossbar while at the other end, former Rotherham winger Ruben Reid also hit the woodwork with a looping header for the visitors.

As it was, all Wednesday had to show for their graft was two Tudgay headers. His first came just before half-time when he glanced home a Michael Gray corner, the second by a far-post header after the break.

Nine points in a week has seen them climb out of the relegation zone and they travel to Scunthorpe on Wednesday five points clear of the bottom three. Another 2-1 win and that chant might just start at Glanford Park.

Sheffield Wednesday: Grant, Buxton, Purse, Beevers, Spurr, Soares, Potter, O'Connor, Gray, Clarke (Varney 72), Tudgay. Unused substitutes: Jameson, Hinds, Simek, McAllister, Sodje, Esajas.

Peterborough: Lewis, Gilbert, Lee, Gedhaghon, Griffiths, Reid (Whelpdale 90), Livermore, Simpson, Boyd (Batt 56), McLeod (McLean 70), Mackail-Smith. Unused substitutes: McKeown, Williams, Frecklington, Rowe

Referee: D Foster.

Man of the match: Marcus Tudgay.

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