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Match Report

10-0 on Aggregate

                      Sheffield Wednesday               0
 

                                             Newcastle United                   2......
                                                  Gallacher '11
                                                         Shearer '86
 

                                                Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Wilson could only
                                               watch in admiration and agony as Alan Shearer
                                               demonstrated just what the Owls are missing in their battle
                                               against relegation - the killer instinct. It was perhaps with a
                                               touch of irony that on the day when Shearer decided to
                                               announce his retirement from international football, he then
                                               went and twisted the knife into Wilson and his long-suffering
                                               side. Let's face facts. His 24 goals in the Premiership this
                                               season is one more than the entire Wednesday team have
                                               managed between them throughout the entire campaign.

                                               It's all very well talking about team spirit, desire and hope
                                               as you struggle in the face of adversity, but when you can't
                                               put the ball in the back of the net you're never going to
                                               survive. Wilson spent all of last season trying to find a new
                                               striker and eventually came up with two in the summer in
                                               Gilles De Bilde and Gerald Sibon for a combined total of
                                               £5million.
 
                                               But De Bilde's confidence is now so low that Wilson took him
                                               off just 11 minutes into the second-half - even though it
                                               was a move greeted by a chorus of boos from the Kop. As
                                               for Sibon, he perhaps unfortunately deserves the title of
                                               'biggest waste of money of the season' - in more ways than
                                               one given the £2million spent on his 6ft 6inch stature.

                                               In reserve there is Richard Cresswell, a £1million buy from
                                               York on deadline day, but who is hopelessly out of his depth
                                               in the Premiership, while the hard-working Andy Booth has
                                               been plagued with injury since the turn of the year. All in all
                                               it means Wednesday have now failed to score in their last
                                               three matches at Hillsborough, which have all ended in
                                               defeats.

                                               After Kevin Gallacher had poached an 11th-minute opener
                                               as confusion reigned between skipper Peter Atherton and
                                               keeper Pavel Srnicek, it was then left to Shearer to have the
                                               final say four minutes from time. Rob Lee's
                                               perfectly-weighted through ball allowed Shearer to run onto
                                               it without breaking stride before sweetly placing his shot
                                               past former Magpies team-mate Srnicek.

                                               The 7,000 United fans then broke into a chorus of ''Same
                                               old Shearer, always scoring'' - which makes you wonder why
                                               he is so eager to hang up his England boots. Manager
                                               Bobby Robson, who in his after-match press conference
                                               would have known of Shearer's intentions, talked of the goal
                                               in almost reverential terms.
 
                                               He said: ''It was a fantastic ball through the middle by Rob
                                               Lee and Alan just took it like we know he can. He stayed
                                               calm and took it as far as he knew he had to. He waited and
                                               waited and waited for the ball to sit up, and then he just
                                               stuck it away. It was the hallmark of a great finisher. It was
                                               a well-taken goal.''
 
                                               If only Wilson had someone of Shearer's calibre in his team
                                               then Wednesday would not be in the mess they find
                                               themselves in - eight points adrift of safety and with just 12
                                               games left. But even Wednesday supporters appeared to
                                               have accepted their club's fate as they couldn't even be
                                               bothered to raise a chorus of boos at the final whistle.

                                               Wilson refused to comment after the game, but midfielder
                                               Danny Sonner summed up the sorry situation as he said:
                                               ''It's yet more misery for us. It was shocking, but what can
                                               you do? It's another defeat, although I felt there was
                                               nothing between the sides other than the finishing. They
                                               had that killer instinct and we didn't. At this level you need
                                               to take your chances because if you don't then this is what
                                               happens. Games are running out and we know we need to
                                               win matches now. Draws are no good to us - it's as simple
                                               as that.''

                                               Robson, though, feels Wednesday are not a relegation
                                               team, and although offering his sympathy and best wishes
                                               to Wilson, the Owls boss will need more than that to keep
                                               his side up and his job in the summer. Robson added: ''He
                                               has been blasphemed by some members of the public, who
                                               should show a bit more discretion to a guy who is having a
                                               difficult task. It's not easy for him.

                                               ''I've wished him good luck for between now and the end of
                                               the season. Hopefully they can stay up because it's a
                                               fabulous club and I really don't want them to fail.'' Too late
                                               Bobby, they already are.