Joe McConnell
Wayne Rooney has had a disastrous start to his career as manager of Plymouth Argyle, losing 4-0 to Sheffield Wednesday in his first match as manager.
Last season it took them 14 games to get a win, but in 2024/25 they did it at the first attempt, thanks in large part to Jamal Lowe.
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Plymouth’s Adam Forshaw was forced to wear a shirt with his name misspelled on the back
The debutant scored in the first half and then forced Brendan Galloway into an own goal in the second at Hillsborough. Josh Windass and Michael Smith added a third and fourth on a dream day for the Owls.
It was a defeat that left Rooney with much to reflect on after a terrible start to life with Argyle.
Owls impress ‘Rohl’ beats Plymouth in season opener
Sheffield Wednesday controlled the first half and two of their key players played a key role in the build-up to the opening goal in the 35th minute.
Barry Bannan’s pass and Svante Ingelsson’s fine cross found the ball in the middle, where Lowe made no mistake in his finish.
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Jamal Lowe’s debut goal gave Sheffield Wednesday a 1-0 lead over Plymouth Argyle in the Sky Bet Championship.
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Sheffield Wednesday doubled their lead over Plymouth Argyle after an unfortunate own goal from defender Brendan Galloway.
The score was 2-0 in the 52nd minute thanks to a disastrous own goal by Galloway. When Lowe’s header towards goal hit him in the face and inadvertently flew into his own net.
And after 83 minutes a third was added. Windass was the beneficiary of his pass to Anthony Musaba, who pulled it back for his teammate to strike into the net.
With the final free kick of the match the score was four, with substitute Smith coming on to fire in from close range at the second attempt.
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Josh Windass scored Sheffield Wednesday’s third goal of the afternoon against Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle in the Sky Bet Championship.
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Substitute Michael Smith scored Sheffield Wednesday’s fourth goal of the afternoon, completing their rout of Plymouth Argyle at Hillsborough.
Rooney ‘angry’: ‘We deserved to lose’
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Plymouth Argyle manager Wayne Rooney said he was disappointed, angry and embarrassed by the manner of their 4-0 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday in the Sky Bet Championship.
Plymouth manager Wayne Rooney:
“The score was deserved. From my point of view, the really disappointing thing was the basics of the game, winning duels and saving crosses. We conceded four goals from four crosses. The basics of the game were not there.
“The really disappointing thing for me is that as a team we didn’t play with the confidence we’ve shown in recent weeks.
“We didn’t get the ball well enough or manage the crowd early enough. We let them get a foot in the door, and we let it flow and we conceded two more goals.
“I’m disappointed and angry, because it’s not the performance I wanted to see. We talked about their threats from the crosses. We talked about Barry Bannan and we let him run the game and we didn’t get close enough to him. That was not acceptable.
“Players have to earn the right to play. You lose football games, it happens, but there’s a way you want to see your players run, work and tackle. We’ve had a lot of fans who have come a long way, and the performance we gave wasn’t good enough.
“We must ensure that this does not happen again.”
Analysis: Concerns already for Rooney
Luke Chambers on Vscek Football:
“If I were Wayne Rooney I would be very worried about the players’ performance now. If this is how he has asked them to organise themselves, it will be a long season for them.
“It couldn’t have been an easier start for Wednesday. They took last season into this.
Former Plymouth striker Jamie Mackie on Vscek Football:
“Well done to Sheffield Wednesday. They were favourites before the game and Danny Rohl obviously worked hard on some things, with the amount of possession they had and the chances they created. They were clinical and could have had more.
“The biggest concern for me was Plymouth without the ball and their form. They were overwhelmed in midfield and didn’t change their minds until too late. Maybe they didn’t want to look bad by sending a striker off for a midfielder.”
Rohl proud of performance but can’t wait
Danny Rohl of Sheffield Wednesday:
“This game today is the one we have been working on for the last six weeks. We are in good shape, we can run and we played well with and without the ball. We had a lot of touches in the opponent’s penalty area, but it is only the beginning and we have to continue.
“There were a lot of good things, but we can be more clinical and we missed some opportunities. It was a good step, but only the first. There are 45 more to come. But if we play like this we will have a good season.
“The atmosphere was fantastic and I’m very proud of my team today. But now it’s the next game that’s important, and we can’t wait.”
