Bolton Wanderers 0 Sheffield Wednesday 1: Sidibe on target as Owls pull away from drop zone

The Mali-born striker, who turned 33 on December 18, netted his first goal in almost three years and few could begrudge him his moment after several seasons in the injury wilderness.

Sidibe, whose loan from Stoke City was extended this week until January 19, headed in exquisitely on 25 minutes following a quality cross from Lewis Buxton as Wednesday extended their fine Boxing Day record to just one defeat in nine years.

It also represented the Owls’ first triumph in this particular corner of Lancashire since April 1983 and their maiden one at Wanderers’ Reebok Stadium following their move from Burnden Park in 1997.

In the process, it proved a real tactical success for manager Dave Jones, who essentially fielded four full-backs with Kieran Lee and Jeremy Helan lining up in front of Buxton and Reda Johnson, with his side comfortably repelling any threats posed by the disappointing hosts, whose five-match winning streak against the Owls ended in insipid fashion.

While securing their third three-pointer on the spin for the first time this term, it was also the Owls’ third clean sheet on the trot, much to the satisfaction of Jones.

The success may well have represented just reward for a fine collective team effort, but the Owls chief revealed his delight for frontman Sidibe after he struck for the first time since netting for parent club Stoke in a 3-0 Premier League win over Blackburn Rovers back in February 2010.

Jones said: “Mamady has had an horrendous time with injuries and they have not been little niggles, they have been major ones.

“That goal will not do him any harm whatsoever; it was a superb header.”

On his side’s overall efforts, he added: “It was a solid, perfect, counter-attacking performance away from home.

“It was a case of two banks of four and saying to the opposition: ‘Try and break us down,’ while we had (Michail) Antonio down the middle with his power and pace and he was causing all sorts of trouble. It was a real good performance from us.”

Wednesday, who utilised dangerman Antonio just behind the recalled Sidibe, were forced to defend a flurry of early corners before the hosts carved out the game’s first substantive chance on 14 minutes.

In a quickfire counter down the left, Martin Petrov supplied David Ngog, who outstripped Miguel Llera before seeing his angled shot parried by Chris Kirkland.

Little was seen of the Owls as an attacking force in the opening 25 minutes, with their efforts industrious as opposed to inventive – before a rare clinical moment of incision yielded them an opener out of nowhere.

Buxton cut infield on the right, with his inch-perfect cross headed home emphatically by Sidibe, who fully justified Jones’s faith in starting him in favour of Gary Madine.

The frustration of the home fans soon began to resonate with Wanderers’ patient, probing approach failing to reap any significant dividends with Wednesday going close to doubling their tally eight minutes before the break when Llera flashed a header wide following Rhys McCabe’s corner. Lee, making just his third start of the season, then shot at Adam Bogdan with the half ending with Petrov’s free-kick being beaten away by Kirkland moments before the interval, which saw the hosts leave the field to a fair few boos.

The organised Owls could reflect on a job well done at the interval, with the visitors’ keeping their discipline and shape superbly in the first period.

On the restart, it was more of the same, although a moment of alarm on 52 minutes did see former Huddersfield loanee Benik Afobe wriggle past Anthony Gardner on the right, with his pull-back diverted just wide by the unmarked Ngog.

Wednesday, with Antonio a constant thorn, possessed menace on the break, with Wanderers looking devoid of attacking nous and potency without the considerable presence of boyhood Blades fan, Sheffield-born Kevin Davies, who sat out the game through suspension.

The central defensive axis of Gardner and Llera coped admirably with Afobe and Ngog, although the former went close on 71 minutes with his header from Chris Eagles’s cross beaten away by Kirkland after giving the visiting rearguard the slip.

Despite home boss Dougie Freedman bringing on Marvin Sordell and Marcos Alonso to pep up his side 17 minutes from time, workaholic Wednesday withstood their efforts with a fair degree of comfort with many home fans leaving for the exit doors long before the final whistle while the big visiting contingent celebrated with gusto at the end.

The scoreline may have suggested a narrow victory, but it represented a comprehensive triumph for the Owls, who were better in all departments and who can look forward to Saturday’s derby at Huddersfield Town with a justifiable degree of confidence on this evidence.

Bolton Wanderers: Bogdan; Mears, Knight, Ream, Ricketts (Alonso 73); Eagles (Sordell 73), Spearing, Andrews, Petrov (C-Y Lee 66); Ngog, Afobe. Unused substitutes: Lonergan, Butterfield, Pratley, Riley.

Sheffield Wednesday: Kirkland, Buxton, Llera, Gardner, R Johnson (Mattock 76); K Lee, Prutton, McCabe, Helan; Antonio (J Johnson 90), Sidibe (O’Grady 76). Unused substitutes: Bywater, Taylor, Lines, Madine.

Referee: S Mathieson (Cheshire).