It is not unusual for a new manager to pluck a player from the youth ranks and promote him to his first team.

In what was effectively the second of two pre-season games for Dave Challinor before his league debut at home to Plymouth Argyle on Saturday, there was no real rush to put names forward.

If a Sunday evening FA Cup first-round defeat at Oldham Athletic was fairly humdrum, a Football League Trophy game watched by 5,472 hardy souls on a cold night (decide for yourself if the prefix "fool" is needed) was much more low-key, with both sides already guaranteed a place in the last 32 of this horribly bloated competition.

Between them, Wednesday's starting XI had a combined 89 league starts for the club, 75 of them belonging to captain Sean Fusire, Gabriel Otegbayo and Jarvis Thornton, none at all to Connal Trueman, Joel Akpobi and Samuel Duruh, nor Denny Oliver on his first start in any competition, or Louis Poland on his first appearance full stop.

AT A STRETCH: Ernie Weaver (Image: Steve Ellis)

placeholder image — AT A STRETCH: Ernie Weaver (Image: Steve Ellis)

Striker George Brown was making his first outing of an injury-hit 2026.

So there was not a great deal to take from Challinor's first Hillsborough match as Owls manager, except perhaps the fact that he lined his team up in a 3-4-3, similar to what he did at Boundary Park before changing shape in the second half there.

Nor did anyone not already in his plans make a strong case to face the Pilgrims.

Needing a point to guarantee top spot and a home draw in the last 32, the young Owls were outclassed by League Two Accrington, who claimed it instead with a 4-0 win.

RETURN: Sheffield Wednesday centre-forward George Brown back after injury (Image: Steve Ellis)

Oliver put a free-kick onto the roof of the net, but otherwise the early chances fell to the visitors.

Seamus Conneely missed the target in the 18th, as did Ronan Darcy when he caught a volley sweetly quickly after.

Nigerian-born right winger Duruh, who learnt his football in Spain and has also had a loan spell with Beverley Town, beat his man in the 21st minute but his cross was cut out, albeit unconvincingly. He was the pick of the youngsters.

Two minutes later Fusire ought to have buried Akpobi's ball in from a couple of yards out, and was lucky the linesman had flagged for an earlier offence.

ALL UNDER CONTROL: Jarvis Thornton (Image: Steve Ellis)

But that was pretty much that for Wednesday's first-half threat, barring the shot Brown made space for right at the end of it, but could not force through the defenders in front of him.

Trueman was busy in the final 15 minutes of the half, even if Alex Henderson's shot was straight at him. His next effort six minutes later forced a decent low save with strong hands.

Trueman did even better to deny Shaun Whaley in the 38th minute when the centre-forward really should have converted Henderson's ball in, but the goalkeeper got across his box well.

It was a temporary reprieve, though, Accrington taking the lead a minute later when the Owls failed to get the ball clear after Farrend Rawson struck their crossbar. Josh Smith eventually forced the ball in.

Three minutes later the lead was doubled, the ball coming in from the right to Charlie Brown to find the net from 20 yards. Good grief.

It was Brown who put a free-kick wide early in the second half before Duruh, now on the left, forced a save with a chance made by his own dribble.

It would have been three on the hour but for a big Otegbayo block on Tyler Walton, and should have been again when Darcy put an excellent chance wide.

Seven substitutes at once – three for the Owls – had added to the pre-season feel by then.

One of the later changes, Kleven de Oliveira forced a good save in the 79th minute, with Thornton doing likewise from the follow-up.

Accrington wrapped things up in the 86th minute when Wednesday were caught out trying to press the ball in midfield and it was worked down the inside-left channel for Charlie Warren to finish calmly.

Charlie Caton put the tin lid on it with a fourth goal in the fifth of seven added minutes.

It had been a forgettable night for the home side, but Saturday is when things start for real for Challinor.

Sheffield Wednesday: Trueman; Otegbayo, Weaver, McGhee (Hatfield 62); Fusire, Oliver, Thornton, Poland (de Oliveira 74); Duruh (Onoh 62), Brown (Kay HT), Akpobi (Liddell 62).

Unused substitutes: Langford, Bramhall.

Accrington Stanley: Rogerson; Moore, Rawson (Matthews 62), J Smith; Walton (Caton 62), Conneely (Grant 62), O Smith, Brown; Darcy, Henderson (Mols 62); Whalley.

Unused substitutes: Moulden, Anderson, Warren.

Referee: R Massey-Ellis (West Midlands).