30th April 2022: League 1: Hillsborough: Sheffield Wednesday vs Portsmouth
To finish April off in style I headed to Sheffield to see if Wednesday could seal the deal as they aimed to qualify for the playoffs. They started the day in 4th place with a 2 point lead over Plymouth and Wycombe in 6th and 7th and with their destiny in their own hands.
Knowing that a win would secure their place in the playoffs I was confident that the Owls would get what they needed. Particularly needing to have both Wycombe and Plymouth winning even if they lose. A win for Wycombe away at Burton seemed likely but with Plymouth hosting a MK Dons team needing a win to secure automatic promotion I was as confident as the home fans around me that the Owls would secure their playoff spot. Particularly considering that their opponents, Portsmouth, were marooned in 9th and with nothing to play for in this match except pride.
The final day of the League 1 season saw all the games kick off at 12:30pm and with there being very few trains from Liverpool to Sheffield I knew that if my direct train, taking 1h45mins and arriving at 11:35pm, was delayed then I would be rushing to make the 25minute tram to make it. As such it should not be difficult to imagine the despair that flooded over me when the train tannoy announced that ‘this train is delayed due to signal problems in the Manchester area’ and it nearly drowned me when the same tannoy stated that there would be further announcements when information was available about when we would be underway.
The full delay ran to 45 minutes and as we did not make up any of this delay on route the tram was definitely out as a way to make the kick-off. Due to this delay I went online to find the team sheets as I knew my chances of getting to the stadium early enough to grab a programme were tiny. As such I had to rely on screenshots of the teams online to keep track of substitutes, cards and goal scorers.
If you do get to Sheffield in time to catch the tram it’s the yellow line from Fitzalan Square all the way to the Leppings Lane stop that is just 3 minutes walk from the stadium; However, my only option to make the start was to get a taxi and in this I was helped by a trio of home fans on the same train as me needing to utilise the same option.
They were gracious enough to allow me to join them in their taxi to the match and then refused to accept my contribution to the £8.70 cost of the transport. Thanks to these awesomely generous home fans I was settling into my seat having missed just 10 minutes of the match.
They were crucial minutes to miss though as they included the high point of the afternoon for the fans on the top tier of the Leppings Lane stand as it was during this time that they saw Pompey take the lead through George Hirst. This may have left them feeling that their long journey north from Hampshire had been worth it to see their team win, but by the time I made it to my seat the atmosphere inside the stadium told me that was not how the rest of their lunchtime was going to go.
Going behind had clearly sparked the home team into life as I was greeted by a rocking party atmosphere as I took my seat inside Hillsborough.
The hosts were stamping their authority on the game in midfield and this fed the atmosphere that I was grateful to have as it took my mind off the associations that I have of Hillsborough as a Liverpool fan.
I will touch on those feelings at the end of this blog, but for now it’s back to the action on the pitch as I had barely been in the ground a minute before Wednesday had a glorious chance to equalise gifted to them on a bronze platter.
Bazunu, between the sticks for Pompey, was sold short by a back pass by Robertson in the left back position and had to be fleet footed to thump the ball clear before Berahino could nab the ball off him with a rocket slide tackle. That would have been an embarrassing way for the visitors to concede the equaliser. It would not be long till the hosts were level but at least it did not come with a dollop of embarrassment when it did arrive.
I had time to get my bearings before the equaliser though, which included locating the away fans in the top tier of the Leppings Lane stand far away to my right and the screen to their left, on the far side of the stadium to myself.
Whilst I acquired those bearings the hosts built up the pressure that would lead to their equaliser. Crosses from both sides were skied over the players waiting in the box as the hosts tried to make their pressure tell before Berahino won a corner in the 15th minute. The corner was flicked on at the near post and just needed a decent contact to turn it home from the 6 yard box.
The finishing touch was not to come this time, but two minutes later it did. The cross was whipped into the 6 yard box from the left flank where Lee Gregory met it with a deft little touch to guide it into the net for the equaliser.
The atmosphere was already plenty boisterous in the home stands but even so my ears were not ready for the onslaught of euphoria that followed that equaliser. It was as if an invisible force had reached into the souls of each home fan and turned them into devices to destroy the moon with sound waves. It was such a buzz to be part of that atmosphere, an atmosphere that would only improve as the match went on.
The Owls grabbed the match by the scruff of the neck following that goal and looked like adding to their tally every time they advanced into the Portsmouth half. The visitors mustered very little resistance to their hosts dominance of the ball as they looked to weather the storm and threaten on the break.
In this atmosphere of dominance it took just 4 minutes from the Owls equaliser before they fashioned a chance to take the lead. Byers picked up the ball in midfield and scythed his way up to the edge of the box. He chose to feed the ball right toward Berahino, where a defender was blocking the way and able to clear, when the slide left into the path of an unmarked Gregory would have borne more fruit for the hosts.
No matter though as the hosts were creating another chance as soon as the 23rd minute and this time they were trying to set up Gregory. Hunt was fed in behind down the right and he stood his cross up for Gregory to head home at the far post. Unfortunately for the home fans Hunt had got a smidgen too much height on the cross, the ball bounced off the top of Gregory’s head and harmlessly away to the left touchline.
With these disappointments fuelling him Gregory took it upon himself to try and fire the hosts into the lead their dominant play deserved. He let fly with a thunderbolt of a volley from 20yards out, just left of centre, that looked to be skimming the right post on it’s way to bulging the net until Bazunu strained his every sinew to pinch the ball out of the air and keep the scores level.
Gregory came back again 2 minutes later but this time his efforts to turn provider with a cut back from the by-line was once again prevented from reaching it’s target by Bazunu, this time using his legs to block the ball. Then rising to his feet in time to see the next cross from the right fizz across his 6yard box where there was no-one there to turn it home.
The torment being dished out to the visitors by Gregory got to the point by the 29th minute that Pompey could only stop him was to wrestle him to the ground on the edge of the box. This was missed by the ref however and the match went on interrupted.
As Gregory was now being marked so tightly by the visitors his teammates stepped up to provide the attacking impetus. Berahino took off down the left wing in the 31st minute before laying the ball back into the feet of Bannan 15 yards from goal in the centre of the box. He drove a powerful body towards top bins, but once again Bazunu came to his teammates rescue with a spring-heeled leap to tip the ball over the bar.
Bazunu had been keeping Pompey in the match by sheer force of will up to this point so it was only fitting that it was a mistake by him that led directly to the corner from which Wednesday took the lead. He tried to let a heavy pass down the right channel run behind for a goal kick, but was unable to shield it from Gregory on a mission. The Owl’s man got to the ball first and it was his crosses that were eventually blocked behind for the corner.
The corner from the right was blasted towards the back post where it was met by Berahino who flicked it across Bazunu until it rested in the back of the net. Cue another exponential increase in the party atmosphere in the stands.
Wednesday were not satisfied with a flimsy one goal lead though as they turned up their attack speed and the numbers getting forward for each one as they began to run riot in search of their 3rd before half-time.
They almost had it in the 39rd minute as some mazy footwork by Luongo saw him tie 4 of his opponents in knots before threading a ball through the remains of the Pompey defence for Bannan to meet in the right channel. His inviting ball through the corridor of uncertainty just needed a tap home, but it never came and the hosts were made to wait a little longer to double their.
A little longer turned out to be all of a minute as Byers cross from the right wing was turned home by Storey in the box and the home fans took it up another notch as they were now sure that the party was never going to be called off now. The only thing that was uncertain now was just how many Wednesday would get as the Pompey player’s head had dropped to their feet as they looked to survive till half-time without suffering further damage.
The hosts were attacking with speed and purpose as well as closing the ball down with verve and conviction any time it slipped into Pompey’s hands. This approach almost paid dividends in the dying seconds of the 3 added minutes at the end of the half. A free kick was fed down the left wing from the halfway line and when the ball across the box popped out to Bannan on the edge of the area he swivelled on the spot before unleashing a rifle of a volley towards goal. The aiming on the volley was off by inches though as it skimmed the top of the crossbar on it’s way behind.
Bazunu only had time to hoof the goal kick upfield before the ref blew for half-time, giving the visitors a temporary respite from the torture and the hosts a chance to get catch their breath before going again in the second half. Seriously in need of some sustenance I headed out onto the concourse to join the food queues. I chose badly though as my queue moved with the speed of a cooking snail traversing the Sahara whilst the queue next to me flew along with the speed of a 747 cruising over the Atlantic.
Being decidedly second best throughout the vast majority of the first half appeared to have hurt the Pompey players as they came roaring out the blocks in the second half as they attempted to establish a foothold to help them get something out of the match. They got hold of the ball and didn’t let go for 5 minutes as they probed the resolute Wednesday back line. The chance for the visitors came from a freekick slipped to the near post from the left touchline, which was flicked on into the centre and then landed on the roof of the net above a melee of people waiting to turn it in below.
With Pompey showing signs of life in the half Bannan took it upon himself to push the momentum back Wednesday’s way with a gut busting sprint from halfway to close Bazunu down as he thumped a back pass clear just in time. The effort shown by this sprint was enough to re-energise the home fans, spark the party atmosphere again and raise the Wednesday players to go again.
This encouragement in their back pockets it took just 2 minutes for the home team to create the chance that should have made it 4-1. Johnson drove his way to the by-line and pulled it back past a stranded Bazunu to Bannan, who had found space at the penalty spot. It looked like a simple stroke home for the live-wire midfield man but his side-footed finish bounced away from goal off the legs of Bazunu, whose Speedy Gonzalez reflexes saw him recover in time to preserve the score at just 3-1 to the Owls.
Bannan created another chance for his team as the game ticked over the hour mark as he floated a ball to the back post. He was aiming for Berahino, but the big striker lost his footing before he could connect with it and increase the Owls advantage.
The early impetus for Pompey this half had well and truly evaporated by this point of the match and this led to Danny Cowley making an early dip into his bench options in the 64th minute. He removed Jacobs from the action and brought O’Brien on in an attempt to change the game. Straight away it led to a chance for the visitors as Carter sprayed the ball crossfield to Curtis, who slides his cross back to the edge of the 6 yard box. Unfortunately for the visitors chance of getting back into the match the finish to this excellent build-up was a weak toe-poke that ended up hugely wide of the post.
Within a minute of this Pompey chance the hosts came agonisingly close to they had been threatening for a while now. A sumptuous 60 yard ball out of defence set Gregory running free in behind an AWOL Pompey defence. Bazunu rushed out of his area to close down the angle so Gregory chipped the ball over him and whilst it looked to be dipping in it ended up resting on the roof of the goal. It would’ve been an awesome way to score a 4th for the hosts and cap their comeback, but alas it was not to be.
As the game entered the final 20 minutes I took note of how clean the match had been to this point, evidenced by the lack of any cards being brandished by the ref so far. This may have cursed it a little as not 30 seconds had passed from me noting this to Gregory gaining a Yellow next to his name for cynically cutting out a Pompey break 25 yards from goal.
It was a needless tackle and a clumsy freekick to give away, but it only led to a corner on the right that was fizzed to the back post. A Pompey man rose highest there to direct it towards the postage stamp at the near post. It looked to be going in for a few seconds till Peacock-Farrell appeared from nowhere to tip it onto the bar before the rebound was chipped over the bar at the near post.
The fact that Pompey had managed to create their first chance in a while pushed Darren Moore into finally making a change of his own as the match ambled into it’s final 15 minutes. Berahino was given the rest with one eye on keeping him fresh for the playoffs as Windass was given a run-out. The match itself had lost all edge at this point with it looking like both teams were happy to allow the score to finish as it was.
The spark was back 5 minutes later though, with just 10 minutes left for either team to add to their tally. Pompey fed the ball through to Hirst in the right channel only for his 1st time shot to be tipped over the bar by Peacock-Farrell at his near post. Wednesday broke from the corner but this was brought to a premature end when Bannan found himself laying poleaxed on the turf. He was able to continue after a little physio treatment but, with playoffs on the brain Moore was taking no chances.
Bannan had been such an integral part of Wednesday’s midfield build-up play in this one and the team captain, that it was only right he should be protected for the playoff semi-finals. Paterson came on in his place and made a huge impact in his first 2 minutes in the action. First he managed to pick up the fastest yellow I have seen at a match. Then he made up for it a minute later by rocketing a volley in from 25 yards that was only kept out by yet another awesome fingertip save from Bazunu, who had such an awesome match that he did not deserve to be on the losing side of.
Unfortunately for Bazunu the hosts weren’t letting his say be the deciding factor as they finally added their 4th goal from a corner 4 minutes from time. The corner was flung into the mixer where Byers found the space to turn it home. Byers had been another creative force for Wednesday as they controlled the match and it was brilliant to see his efforts rewarded with a goal. Not to mention the roar of the crowd as the party reached it’s insane crescendo was awesome to experience.
With his team now 4-1 to the good Moore shuffled his pack once again to save another key Man for the playoffs. This time it was Gregory given the rest as Dele-Bashiru was sent on to see out the few minutes that now remained. Cowley responded to this change by replacing Thompson with Mingi, for all the difference it would make at this point.
Frustration in the Pompey ranks boiled over in the penultimate minute of the 90 as Morrell and Byers squared up to each other far to my left and picked up a yellow each for their troubles. Carter and Windass also received a talking too for their part in proceedings but both escaped without cards, luckily for Windass given the previous yellow on his name.
This was the last action of note in the match before the ref blew the whistle and brought the party in the home stands to a climax of earth bending noise. The 33,394 fans in attendance were extremely well behaved at full-time, with only a couple of people ignoring the repeated pleas to stay off the pitch.
The players stayed on the pitch and were joined by their families on the slowest lap of honour I have ever experienced as the home players lapped up the crescendo of adulation pouring down on them from the stands. They sped up a fair bit as they passed the Leppings Lane end, which had been speedily evacuated by the visiting fans as soon as the final whistle blew.
Good luck to Sheffield Wednesday as they take their promotion fight into the playoffs this weekend, but before I leave this blog I must come back to my feelings at visiting Hillsborough.
I had travelled to the match determined to enjoy the football and prove to myself that the stadium is more than just a disaster zone. During the match I had achieved this goal but as I left I walked past the Leppings Lane entrance and my mind was cast back to all the stories that I have heard about 14th April 1989. I was on the verge of tears, but still managed to stop for a moments reflection in honour of the 97 who lost their lives that day before heading for the tram back into town.
To know that I can walk away from matches safe and well is something that I take for granted, but those who lost their lives on that fateful day will never be forgotten.
Justice for the 97.
The Football tourist 