Sheffield Wednesday 1 Derby County 0 - Callum Paterson gives Owls perfect start to New Year

It is fair to say that the passing of the old year will not have been particularly lamented by followers of Sheffield Wednesday or Derby County.

A new year brings new hope – or so the theory goes. Derby were at least feeling a touch better about themselves heading into this fixture on the back of an encouraging run of one defeat in eight matches and an impending takeover – although their seasoned supporters will not be making bold predictions.

It is dangerous to make predictions as far as Sheffield Wednesday, another grand old club, are concerned given these dysfunctional times.

The fact that Wednesday are searching for a new manager after calling time on Tony Pulis’s 45-day tenure in dramatic fashion would intimate that they are a club in crisis.

A run of 10 points from the past 12 – comfortably their best run of league form in 2020-21 – is the bizarre paradox.

The Championship’s capricious nature saw the Owls – led by caretaker manager Neil Thompson for the second time – secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season and more importantly, move out of the Championship relegation zone for the first time this season and leapfrog the visitors.

It came thanks to Callum Paterson’s second goal in successive matches just after the hour mark, which afforded the hosts – second best for much of the game –another cherished moment in a campaign largely devoid of cheer. Funny old week.

For the previous three years, Wednesday had ‘welcomed’ the new year by way of lousy Hillsborough losses to Hull City and Burton Albion and a forgettable draw with Birmingham City. The fare here was pretty ugly from a home perspective, but it had one huge redeeming feature as Paterson punished Derby’s profligacy.

Confident and controlled in possession and with energy and sorcery out wide in Louis Sibley and Kamil Jozwiak, Derby – fresh from their handsome four-goal win at Birmingham – showcased their improvement in recent times in eye-catching fashion for spells.

Wednesday, who were without the injured duo of Keiren Westwood and Chey Dunkley, were comprehensively bettered in a tough first period which contrasted markedly with their excellent showing in the opening half three days earlier against Middlesbrough.

Matters were compounded when Josh Windass limped off with injury late on in the half, with the saving grace for the Owls being the fact that they were not trailing at the break. Derby could easily have been out of sight.

Rangy defensive midfielder Krystian Bielik went close twice as Wednesday – who switched Liam Shaw into the back four – looked susceptible from set-plays.

The Rams also went close when Joe Wildsmith – deputising for Westwood – turned away Sibley’s drive at full stretch.

The ball was cleverly recycled with Colin Kazim-Richards’s deft backheel setting up Graeme Shinnie, with his shot blocked in the nick of time by Barry Bannan.

Alertness from Tom Lees also got in the way of another goalbound effort from close in by Matthew Clarke as Wednesday creaked.

It was ex-Sheffield United striker Kazim-Richards who spurned another glorious chance when his point-blank header struck the crossbar after a fine left-wing cross from Craig Forsyth. Wednesday’s best moment by a distance came moments before the interval when Windass’s replacement Elias Kachunga headed wide at the far post following a wickedly inswinging free-kick from Bannan.

In open play, the hosts produced little aside from a neat move instigated by Kadeem Harris, who splendidly jinked past a couple of challenges before setting up Adam Reach, with his lob tamely sailing over.

The interval scoreline was benevolent for Wednesday in the circumstances. In their position, you take what you can.

Sibley fired an effort wide early in the second half as the missed chances started to stack up from a Derby perspective, with Wednesday forced to be patient in their wait for a telling opportunity.

Gorging on possession with their percentage count being in the sixties, the only statistic that mattered was just as revealing for the Midlands visitors.

It would have been hammered home if Kachunga’s close-range effort had gone in, instead of straight at David Marshall.

At the other end, Wednesday continued to live on the edge with a brilliant low cross from Forsyth just failing to pick out a couple of Derby players for a tap-in as the hosts were dissected.

And then came the sting.

Marshall could not cope with a high ball and as Derby’s defenders dithered in a congested goal-mouth, Paterson nipped in to nod home following Tom Lees’s header across goal.

It was a sickening moment for Derby, but also a lesson.

Wednesday found the resolve to hold onto their precious gain, enforced when Harris made a brilliant late tackle to deny substitute Lee Buchanan.

Sheffield Wednesday: Wildsmith; Palmer, Lees, Shaw, Odubajo; Reach, Pelupessy, Bannan, Harris; Windass (Kachunga 37), Paterson (Rhodes 72). Substitutes unused: Jackson, Dele-Bashiru, Brennan, Waldock, Brown, Penney, Hunt.

Derby County: Marshall; Byrne, Wisdom, Clarke, Forsyth (Buchanan 72); Knight, Bielik, Shinnie (Bird 72); Jozwiak, Kazim-Richards, Sibley. Substitutes unused: Roos, te Wierik, Whittaker, Evans, Watson, Gordon, Hector-Ingram.

Referee: M Donohue (Greater Manchester).

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