Laws brings local honours back to S6

The 119th Steel City derby belonged to the S6 side of Sheffield as Wednesday out played their biggest rival 2-0 in front of the season's biggest crowd at Hillsborough.

Wednesday fully deserved the victory over a Blades side supposedly superior in quality and certainly higher in wages but on the day they were out fought and out muscled by a Wednesday side that showed adventure going forward and bravery at the back.

There were strong doubts in the days leading up to the match as to whether or not the Hillsborough surface would be fit to play on. The 3rd Round Cup replay against Derby County was postponed because of the waterlogged pitch but Wednesday officials installed a massive cover to protect the pitch as best they could. Huge credit must be given to them in ensuring that the season's most anticipated match did go ahead.

Brian Laws was unable to field his strongest side with Francis Jeffers and Frank Simek out of the squad with injury and Richard Wood and Steve Watson on the bench but not fully fit. The same was said of striker Akpo Sodje but Laws took a gamble in starting with the big man up front alongside Marcus Tudgay. The Wednesday defence included two players in Tommy Spurr and Richard Hinds who will know just how much this derby match means to the fans - they are Wednesday fans and have watched these games from the terraces. Ronnie Wallwork was thrown straight into the thick of it with a home debut to remember, he played alongside the ever reliable Glenn Whelan in midfield.

Ratings v Sheffield United: Grant 8 Solid performance between the sticks, giving his defence plenty of confidence in coming to claim the ball from aerial attacks. Brilliant finger tip save in the second half to preserve the lead. Bullen 7 Looked up for the game and played with great passion and desire. At times appears to lack the quality desired at this level but was a real battler in this one for Wednesday. Beevers 7 Great performance from such a young player. Got himself in to trouble a few times, needlessly giving the ball away, but those lanky long legs came to the rescue Hinds 7 There were a few hairy moments from the back four during the course of the match but overall they dug deep and put the bodies on the line, Hinds did his part. Spurr 8 He's a Wednesday boy. He knows what the fans want in a derby match and he gave it. 100% heart and some crunching tackles on Wednesday old boy Derek Geary. A few silly errors but solid overall. J.Johnson 9 Seemed to scare the daylights out of United and his pace was a problem all game. Brilliant run and cross to leave Sodje with an open net to tap in to for the first goal. Whelan 8 Worked well as a unit with the experienced Ronnie Wallwork. A typical top quality display from the Irishman. Wallwork 8 A great home debut performance. Lacked pace but was a little terrier in the middle of the park for Wednesday all day. O'Brien 7 A decent if not quiet performance from 'BOB'. Played his part defensively and gave Johnson the chance to charge down the right. Tudgay 9 Great partnership with Sodje. Intelligent link up play and superb in the air, not to mention a cracking second goal to seal the win. Sodje 9 Made all the difference today. United simply could not contain the man who has pace and power by the bags full. A bustling forward's display and he wasn't even fully fit. Brilliant. Clarke 7 Would be a 5 or 6 rating with some awful finishing in front of goal but made up for it with his powerful presence up front. Ran hard and charged down clearances, fought well in the air and set up the 2nd. Small 6 - The Gaffer 9 Got his team selection spot on and looked far more up for it on the sideline than his counterpart Bryan Robson. Threw his scarf into the crowd in a wild celebration at 2-0. The Support 10 One of the most electric Hillsborough atmospheres in years. Truly memorable. The Officials 10 Premier League Referee showed Premier League quality decision making. Kept the game under control without taking the sting out of it. No bookings was a remarkable achievement. Overall: A deserved derby win for Wednesday against supposed superior opposition. United looked strong in spells but ultimately the finishing in front of goal proved decisive. The Blades almost went off the rails after the second went in and you thought another massacre might be on the cards. A memorable day out for Owls fans and one to remember.

Brian Laws comments: "We are all ecstatic, there's no doubt about it, we are delighted for the football club and the supporters, who have suffered without a derby win for such a long time. I hope that goes a long way to taking that bit of suffering away, they have got some bragging rights now and they haven't seen that for a long time." "It was a magnificent occasion today, the supporters were absolutely outstanding from start to finish and gave the feeling about the place that if you were to get that week in week out, what could you do with it? It is electrifying and it certainly gave everyone a spur today." "It wasn't about the football side of it today it was about the passion, the commitment, the desire, and the tackles. After the weather we have had this week we have to give huge credit to the ground staff for providing this surface under a lot of pressure." "One thing we did today was to show the passion and commitment that we need to get us out of trouble. The three points will go a small way to push us up the table but if we maximise the lift we've got from this result it could take us a long way." "These are the moments you have got to savour and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I was like a little kid in a sweet shop this week waiting for the game and hopefully that little bit of spark will have electrified the players in some way but they certainly performed today and Akpo Sodje was outstanding, he was the catalyst for us today."

Akpo Sodje comments: "I can't remember scoring because I was just too excited! It was my first derby goal and I'm obviously delighted. It still hasn't really sunk in." "The fans were unbelievable. The noise when the goals went in was phenomenal. They deserved that win and so did the players. We battled hard throughout the game and got our reward."

Marcus Tudgay comments: "Sodje played a big part in that win. He ran his heart out and caused all sorts of problems. He was a massive influence." "I didn't know what to do when I scored. I could have run off anywhere! But the lads grabbed me, slapped me and punched me so I ended up going nowhere!"