Worthington Cup 2nd Round 2nd Leg - Wednesday 22nd September 1998, from Hillsborough

V

Result
Sheffield Wednesday	(3)3	1(1)	Stoke City
Alexandersson 5, 66 de Bilde 24		Kavanagh 73
Att: 8921

Teams
Srnicek	Ward
Nolan	Short
Briscoe	Mohan
Walker	Kavanagh
Thome	Thorne
Rudi	Lightbourne
Sonner	O'Connor
Alexandersson	Petty
Donnelly	Clarke
Booth	Keen
de Bilde	Jacobsen

Subs

Subs

Haslam - Briscoe (37 mins)	Oldfield - Petty (46 mins)
Cresswell - Rudi (70 mins)	Connor - Thorpe (61 mins)
Sibon - de Bilde (70 mins)	Heath - O'Connor (76 mins)

Un-used Subs

Un-used Subs

Pressman	Dixon
Hamshaw	Aiston

Match Report

Wednesday slump ends with Stoke win Wednesday 3-1 Stoke - by Anne Burkinshaw report from official swfc site A thin ray of hope has penetrated the gloom around Hillsborough after a battling display from Danny Wilson's men saw them register their first win of the season and in the process progress through to the third round of the Worthington Cup for the first time in four years. Two goals from Niclas Alexandersson and a first half volley from Gilles De Bilde broke an Owls goalscoring drought which had lasted 521 minutes of league and cup football. After the massacre at Newcastle Wednesday and Wilson in particularly desperately needed a positive result against a Stoke side smacking their lips in anticipation and the Owls enjoyed the best possible start, opening the scoring in just the fourth minute, as a left wing cross from Lee Briscoe was volleyed home in the penalty area by Swedish international Alexandersson. A sense of relief permeated Hillsborough and then Owls nearly went further ahead on fifteen minutes as Gilles De Bilde chested down a cross-field ball from Briscoe and raced into the area but fired his effort into the side netting. However the outstanding De Bilde was not to be denied nine minutes later as he put Wednesday further ahead with a volley not dissimilar to Alexandersson's effort. A pass into the area from the hard working Booth found the Belgian on the right hand side of the box and the striker fired home a low shot. Ironically the visitors could well have opened the lead just a minute before Alexandersson's goal when Lightbourne with time and space just inside the box and with Pavel Srnicek stranded blasted over the crossbar. On the half-hour Booth nearly snuck in with a header at the back-post from a free-kick but Danny Wilson would have been delighted with Wednesday's first half efforts as his team trooped off to a standing ovation from the small crowd. Half-time Owls 2-0 Stoke The Owls enjoyed a string of chances in the second half as Ward tipped over a Booth header and then substitute Oldfield nearly scored an embarrassing own goal as he sliced his attempted clearance from a Wednesday corner inches wide of Ward's left hand post. However Wednesday's pressure told with twenty four minutes to go Booth's cross from the left was initially stabbed goalwards by Simon Donnelly, but after Nicky Mohan had blocked the shot, the rebound fell to Alexandersson who blasted the ball home via keeper Ward. Stoke grabbed a consolation goal thanks to a stunning 25 yard strike from Graham Kavanagh but towards the end Wednesday had a couple of decent chances as substitue, Gerald Sibon's shot was deflected for a corner and then on two occassions fellow substitute, Richard Cresswell found himself through on goal but both times the former England U21 striker failed to capitalise. There is still much work to do for Danny Wilson's men in the coming months ahead but hopefully from the ruins of the Newcastle massacre the seeds of hope have been sowed.