Owls v Rams - Report

A win at Last for Jewell`s Rams

The Rams earned their first victory under new Coach Paul Jewell when they came from behind to beat Sheffield Wednesday 4-2 on penalties at Hillsborough to set up an FA Cup fourth-round tie with Preston this Saturday.


Steve Watson put the Owls ahead early in the first half, firing low past Price from Jermaine Johnson's cross, but the Rams levelled through Kenny Miller after the break but neither side could find a winner and a shoot-out was needed.

Craig Fagan scored the winning penalty, but it was keeper Lewis Price who was the hero saving Glenn Whelan and Kenny Lunt's efforts.

The Rams had the best of the early exchanges, with Owls goalkeeper Lee Grant making a sharp stop to keep out Miller's shot from a tight angle.

But Championship side Wednesday soon gained the upper hand and Johnson's run and cross from the right was met by the veteran Watson arriving in the box late to fire home to give the Owls the lead.

Johnson was a constant threat down the flanks to the Rams` defence, as did Wade Small on the left, and he missed a great chance to make it 2-0 when he blazed over from eight-yards.

The Rams were struggling to get into the game and on a rare move forward Gary Teale beat the offside trap, only to drag his shot across the face of goal. Moments later Miller curled a 20-yard effort high and wide as they looked for the equaliser.

With the Rams 0-1 down at the break, Rams boss Paul Jewell sent his players out early for the second half with their ears still ringing from his half time address. But whatever was said during the interval it seemed to do the trick.

In their first attack in the second half it was 1-1. Scotsman Miller finished clinically into the bottom right corner of the net from the edge of the box.

It became a scrappy game after that with both sides struggling on a wet pitch, but tempers flared midway through the half with referee Chris Hoy having to break up a large scuffle at one point.

Derby looked the livelier side as full time approached, though either team could have won it in the final minutes. Owls` and former Ram Deon Burton fired over from 10-yards following a rare second-half attack, while for Derby an unmarked Miller headed over when he should have found the target from five-yards.

The football in extra-time didn`t get any better, both sides huffed and puffed but chances were few and far between, although Fagan and Lewin Nytanga had long-range efforts flash wide for the Rams and Wednesday's Leon Clarke and Lunt both shot straight at Price.

Second half substitute Robert Earnshaw had a chance to win it late in extra-time but his goalbound shot was deflected wide.

It came down to the dreaded penalty shoot-out, and Price saved the Owls first two putting the Rams in the driver`s seat. Miller, Eddie Lewis and Earnshaw found the net for the Rams and Marcus Tudgay and Burton found the net for the Owls. It left Fagan to finish it with a cool strike into the bottom right corner, and send the Rams into the fourth Round with a home clash against another Championship side Preston North End.

Teams
Sheff Wed: Grant, Bullen, Hinds, Beevers, Spurr, Whelan, Watson (Lunt 51), Johnson, Small (Burton 81), Sodje (Clarke 71), Tudgay.
Subs Not Used: Gilbert, Wood.

Derby: Price, Edworthy, Leacock (Moore 83), Todd, Davis, Nyatanga, Teale (Earnshaw 106), Pearson, Barnes (Lewis 42), Fagan, Miller.
Subs Not Used: Hinchliffe, Macken.

Att: 18,020

Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside).

Rams Man of the Match -

Kenny Miller - A great all-round performance from the Scottish international. After Match Coaches Comments:

Boss Paul Jewell says Derby County's victory over Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup third round replay was just reward for their long-suffering fans.

'I'm relieved,' Jewell told BBC Radio Derby after the penalty shoot-out win. 'That is for the supporters who were here, they were terrific.

'In the first half they rightly showed their disappointment at the players' performance - it wasn't acceptable.

'But we had a reaction second half and are through to the next round.'

Jewell added: 'The first 10 minutes we were great. We had six shots and then with their first shot they scored and we went to pieces.

'I couldn't wait to get in at half-time. We started the second half well, got a really good goal from Kenny Miller and after that it wasn't pretty.

'We had a lot of people who hadn't played a lot of football on a really heavy pitch. We finished the stronger in an average match and had the better chances on the night but we are through to the next round.

'The first half was like something from a horror show. But at least we got a reaction.' Sheffield Wednesday boss Brian Laws says he was proud of his players following the FA Cup exit against

'We've left it too late because it is a lottery when you get to penalties,' Laws told the club's official website.

'What a first half we had though, I thought we were outstanding.

'We took the game to Derby and were battering them, we got one goal and I thought if we scored another one we would have buried them.

"They got that relief early in the second half and it probably settled their nerves a wee bit as the match got more even."

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