FT: Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Preston North End

Gary Madine struck two second-half goals against woeful Preston to make it five wins in six under Dave Jones and stretch the Owls’ unbeaten run to eight games.

After a poor first half in which Preston frustrated Wednesday, Madine broke the deadlock just four minutes into the second half, blasting the ball home from the edge of the area, beyond the outstretched fingertips of Thorsten Stuckmann.

Madine then doubled the lead with a downward header from Michael Antonio’s long throw shortly after the hour mark.

He could have had hat-trick but blasted over while Nile Ranger worked hard alongside him up front and Jose Semedo anchored a very attacking midfield easily.

It was a scoreless first half, with Wednesday making the running against a very rigid North End.

Jermaine Johnson came closest for the Owls early on with a raking shot that went just wide from 25 yards.

Antonio had a lot of joy down the right flank but his cross in stoppage-time was spooned over the bar by Chris Lines.

Madine would have had a certain goal but for a vital intervention from Chris Robertson, while Paul Parry had Preston’s best chance with a long-range shot from a free-kick that Stephen Bywater gathered.

Graham Westley’s Preston, though, were very poor. They hardly threatened and played with no confidence going forward.

Former Cardiff, Wigan and Wales international Jason Koumas is expected to start training with the Owls.

Jones said: “I think the first half was very bitty, slow and stop-start. You’ve got to ask their manager but it looked like the way they set up was going to be quite defensive.

“We needed to be a bit more patient, with a bit higher tempo to our play. Second half we needed a goal, we spoke about it, and then hopefully it would open up. I don’t think it really did open up but we earned the right to then get the second and should’ve made it three or four.

“But we had to earn the right to play. You could see the difference in the way we passed it second half, it was sharper and it was crisper and that’s what we’re trying to do.

“It’s very difficult when you’re playing against a side that basically try and shut up shop and that’s what I felt. The first half we couldn’t break them down. We had chances to but we couldn’t. I just felt they got tired, they were chasing for a long time.”