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Championship
Aug 8, 2015 at 3pm UK
 
Bristol City

2-0

Lees (60'), McGugan (71')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Live Commentary: Sheffield Wednesday 2-0 Bristol City - as it happened

Relive Sheffield Wednesday's 2-0 win over Bristol City on the opening weekend of the Championship season.
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Sheffield Wednesday's first game under new head coach Carlos Carvalhal was a home match against newly-promoted Bristol City.

The Robins were expected to provide a tough test after storming to the League One title last term, but Wednesday cruised to a 2-0 win at Hillsborough.

Read how it all unfolded with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.


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Afternoon all! Our first feature 3pm Saturday kickoff in the Championship this season takes place at Hillsborough as Sheffield Wednesday welcome Bristol City. Half an hour until kickoff, so let's crack on.

WEDNESDAY XI: Westwood; Hunt, Lees, Loovens, Helan; Matias, Lopez, McGugan, Hutchinson, Wallace; Nuhiu
Subs: Palmer, Semedo, Lavery, Joao, Lee, Sasso, Wildsmith

BRISTOL XI: Fielding; Ayling, Flint, Williams, Fredericks; Smith, Freeman, Pack, Bryan; Wilbraham, Kodjia.
Subs: O'Leary, El-Abd, Wagstaff, Reid, Burns, Agard, Robinson

Righty ho. New Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal names four new faces - Jack Hunt, Marco Matias, Alex Lopez and Ross Wallace - in his starting lineup, while Lewis McGugan also makes another debut after joining the Owls permanently.

As for Bristol, £2m summer signing Jonathan Kodjia is up front with captain Aaron Wilbraham as Ryan Fredericks also makes his debut in defence.

Angers' Jonathan Kodjia runs during a friendly football match between Bordeaux (FCGB) and Angers (SCO) on July 16, 2015© Getty Images

It's been a big summer of change in South Yorkshire, with a new coach and several new foreign faces arriving at Wednesday. Most fans feel that new owner Dejphon Chansiri is showing good ambition, but will his methods pay off?


We've predicted Wednesday to come 12th in our season preview, but it could easily be much better or much worse. Apart from maybe Brentford, the Owls have the biggest question mark in the league.

Interestingly, over 50% of our readers think that Wednesday will make the playoffs under Carvalhal this term.

Besiktas JK Head Coach Carlos Carvalhal reacts during his team's UEFA Europa League group E qualifying football match against Maccabi Tel-Aviv at the Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv on December 1, 2011© Getty Images

As for Bristol, we think that they'll be aroudn the same place as Wednesday and have predicted them to come 11th. The majority of you agree with us - 45% of you think they'll be in the top half, but below the playoffs.

Teams who have blitzed League One in recent seasons have tended to do well, so some Robins fans fancy a push for back-to-back promotions.

Bristol City players celebrate their League One championship win on May 4, 2015© Getty Images

H2H: The Owls have not beaten the Robins in the last nine league meetings, with the most recent affair a 1-1 draw at Ashton Gate when City were relegated in 2013. Bristol fans will have fond memories of Hillsborough, the team having scored twice in the final five minutes on their last visit to snatch a 3-2 win.

Here come the two teams out of the tunnel. It's a wonderful summer's day in Sheffield - proper opening-day weather!

PREDICTION: Kickoff is moments away, so time for my prediction - Bristol's squad are familiar with one another and given their recent record against the side from South Yorkshire, it might be a winning start for Cotterill's men. Bristol to win 2-1.

KICKOFF! Wednesday are forced to change ends and the home side get us underway!

Not much to report from the early stages, with Bristol the only side to threaten so far. Bryan got forward down the left and his low cross was diverted into the arms of Wednesday keeper Westwood.

The first goal of the day in the 3pm Championship matches arrives at the New York Stadium, just down the road from Hillsborough, as MK Dons take the lead against Rotherham United.

Bristol might have a tough time creating many clear-cut chances today - Wednesday kept 17 clean sheets in the league last season, equalling a club record set in 1978/79. The Owls also conceded fewer errors leading directly to goals than any other Championship team in 2014-15 (1).

First piece of bright play in the final third from Wednesday as McGugan, Nuhiu and Matias link up, with the latter just unable to get the ball under control and shoot at goal.

Matias is probably the highlight of Wednesday's summer signings. He scored 17 goals in 33 appearances in the Portuguese top flight last season for Nacional.

Vitoria SC's defender Bruno Gaspar (L) vies with Nacional's forward Marco Matias during the Portuguese league football match Vitoria de Guimaraes v CD Nacional at the Dom Alfonso Henriques stadium in Guimaraes on January 4, 2015© Getty Images

Fair play to Bristol, they've looked cool in possession so far with 57% of the ball. A real midfield battle at the moment, with both attacks having very little luck in the final third.

STAT: Last season was the first time that Bristol City had finished first in any division since topping Division 3 South in 1955, and their 99-point haul was their highest ever final tally in a league season.

Nuhiu, Wednesday's top scorer last season with 11 goals, has a half-chance in the box. He can't get hold of it and it's a comfortable stop for Fielding.

That's the first shot on target, so you can imagine how tight a game it has been so far.

SHOT! Midway through the opening period and the Robins have their first shot of the game as Freeman lets fly from 25 yards and pulls his shot a yard or two wide of the near upright.

To the delight of the crwod, Nuhiu muscles his way through a couple of challenges before the ball is taken off him by Flint.

Flint, by the way, scored a whopping 14 league goals from centre-back last season - that's three more than Nuhiu, Wednesday's top scorer.

It's now 2-1 to MK Dons against Rotherham, the only 3pm Championship game that's had a goal. In case you didn't know, there have already been three second-tier games, with Brighton beating Forest in the curtain-raiser last night before a pair of 1-1 draws earlier today between Cardiff and Fulham and Leeds and Burnley.

CHANCE! First real chance of the match falls to Wednesday new boy Matias, who sliced horribly wide after Wallace's deflected shot fell kindly his way.

CHANCES! Chances at both ends as first Wilbraham has his shot saved by Westwood before Wednesday break and Matias goes within inches of the opening goal after beating Ayling down the left.

MK Dons, who scored more goals than any other team in the Football League last year (101), already have three before half time as Dean Bowditch puts them 3-1 up at Rotherham. Those two sides are both expected to be in the relegation scrap this year.

CHANCE! Big, big chance for the home side. Nuhiu got free down the right but didn't get his head up with Matias free in the middle. He waited too long and although his cross was blocked, it fell kindly for Lopez and he blazed over from 12 yards. Wasted.

Wednesday were given a corner there as Lopez's shot took a nick, but he still should have scored from there. He had plenty of time and no challenge nearby from just 12 yards.

News of goals in a Championship match not at the New York Stadium as Blackburn peg back Wolves after Benik Afobe had broken the deadlock.

Bristol have still had more of the ball (59%), but it's Wednesday who look more threatening with the power of Nuhiu and guile of Matias.



BOOKING! Fredericks goes into the book for bringing down Nuhiu, who had got past him down the right.

Pardon me, I missed that Bristol were forced into a change a few minutes ago. Bryan couldn't shake off an injury and has been replaced by Burns. The yellow-card count is 1-1 now as Wallace is cautioned.

SHOT! Kodjia has been quiet on his Robins debut, but almost silenced Hillsborough there with a fierce 25-yard drive that whizzed over the bar.

Two minutes added on before half time.

HALF-TIME: WEDNESDAY 0-0 BRISTOL CITY

No goals after 45 minutes of football at Hillsborough, but it's been a decent, evenly-matched contest so far.

The visitors have had more possession (58%) and the same amount of shots on target, but Wednesday have just felt a bit more dangerous and have had the best chances of the game. New signings Matias and Lopez have both gone close.

If you're only just joining us and want a quick recap, then our half-time report is just what you need.

They've pulled out all the stops at half time on the opening day of the season at Hillsborough. First prize in the big raffle was a brand new BMW!

HALF-TIME SCORES: Birmingham 1-0 Reading, Blackburn 1-2 Wolves, Bolton 0-0 Derby, Brentford 0-1 Ipswich, Charlton 0-0 QPR, Hull 1-0 Huddersfield, Rotherham 1-3 MK Dons

So, after about half an hour of goalless action at most games, there were a flood of goals towards the end of the first halves. Impressive start for MK Dons in their first season at Championship level.

We're a little bit behind schedule at Hillsborough, but the two sides are now out for the second half. No changes from either manager at half time. A reminder that Bristol were forced into a change when Bryan was replaced by Burns.

KICKOFF! We're back underway at Hillsborough.

Bryan going off meant that Fredericks has switched from right-back to left-back.


SAVE! Wednesday win a free kick about 30 yards from goal and it's Wallace who swings it over the wall towards goal. It would have taken some strike from there and Fielding gets across to make a save.

A round of applause all around Hillsborough for 53-year-old lifelong Wednesday fan Graham Compton, who has been given just weeks to live. Lovely touch.

Wednesday are looking more threatening at the moment, but they weren't able to do anything with a pair of corners just then.

Kodjia tries to spring the trap, but he's caught offside and that's summed up his first performance in England. Decent effort, but not much luck.

GOAL! WEDNESDAY 1-0 BRISTOL (TOM LEES)

Wednesday break the deadlock on the hour mark as Lees bullets home Lopez's corner from the left. Good header, but Fielding might have felt that he could have done more.

"E I E I E I O! UP THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE WE GO!" sing the Wednesday fans. It's a little premature, but there's plenty of reasons to be hopeful after a performance like this.

BOOKING! Marlon Pack is booked by James Adcock for bringing down Matias in the middle.

BRISTOL SUB: Kodjia has struggled on his debut and he's replaced by another new face, Aston Villa loanee Callum Robinson.

OFF THE LINE! The Robins almost equalise as Burns meets a corner and sees his goalbound header cleared.

GOAL! WEDNESDAY 2-0 BRISTOL (MCGUGAN)

It was McGugan who made the goalline clearance in his own box before storming forward and finishing at the back post, with Fielding misjudging a deep cross and gifting the midfielder a goal.

In my season preview of the Owls I picked McGugan as their key player and I've certainly been proved right today. Saving a goal at one end before scoring at the other.

Today's attendance at Hillsborough is 23,255.

WEDNESDAY SUB: Nuhiu might not be the most attractive on the ball, but his try-hard style means that he's a hit with the fans and he's had a good game today. New signing Lucas Joao comes on for his debut.

BRISTOL SUB: Only an incredible comeback will get Bristol something from this game and Cotterill has made an attacking change by taking off Fredericks for Kieran Agard.

Wednesday have been excellent in this second half and the main difference is that Bristol have gone much quieter after having the odd bright moment in the first half. Break in play at the moment with Wednesday winger Wallace down.

WEDNESDAY SUB: Third and final change for the home side as Wallace is forced off and replaced by Kieran Lee.

Burns goes down in the area and looks up hopefully to referee Adcock, but no penalty given. Would have been harsh on Helan.

Another injury for a Wednesday new boy as Hunt stays down before being replaced by Liam Palmer. Hopefully it's nothing too serious.

All in all it's been a fantastic opening-day performance against Wednesday. It's never easy against one of the newly-promoted sides and they have nullified the Robins. Five mintues added on.

CHANCE! What a golden chance for Matias to cap an impressive debut with a goal as Lee lays him in, but he can only sidefoot wide.

BOOKING! A bit of frustration from Robins captain Wilbraham as he goes into the book late on.

FULL-TIME: WEDNESDAY 2-0 BRISTOL CITY

A great start to the season for the Owls then as they see off the Robins 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Lees and McGugan.

Plenty of new faces on show at Hillsborough, but it was two of last year's best players who again delivered. After impressing defensively as well last term, the Owls again looked solid at the back and have notched their first clean sheet of the campaign.

Time for us to say goodbye, but make sure you head this way for all of the scores and plenty more from the first Saturday of the season. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

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A general view during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Watford at Hillsborough Stadium on October 18, 2014
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