Toto Nsiala scored his first Town goal but was later controversially sent off as the Blues were beaten 2-1 by Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough, Lucas Joao netting twice for the Owls. Joao headed the home side in front in the 16th minute, but Nsiala levelled on 44. The former Shrewsbury man was very harshly red-carded for a challenge on Fernando Forestieri in the 75th minute and two minutes later Joao won it for the South Yorkshireman.

Kayden Jackson was handed his full Championship Town debut as the lone striker with Ellis Harrison moving to the wide left role.

Tayo Edun was back from his one-match suspension replacing Cole Skuse, who missed out due to his quad injury, with Jon Nolan able to start despite having been a doubt with an ankle problem. Grant Ward, who started at Derby in midweek, dropped to the bench.

Janoi Donacien blazed high and wide in the opening seconds with the Blues starting brightly. On five Toto Nsiala nodded wide from a corner after a dangerous Trevoh Chalobah ball into the box had been turned behind.

Harrison smashed well over from distance on 12, then two minutes later got his name in the book for a wild challenge on Liam Palmer.

Wednesday had begun to threaten and in the 16th minute they went in front, Town again conceding from a set piece.

Barry Bannan sent over a corner from the right, Joao pulled away from Chalobah at the far post and nodded into the net all too easily.

Four minutes later, it was almost 2-0. Bannan whipped in a freekick from the right and Jordan Thorniley’s powerful diving header flew wide when he will feel he ought to have scored.

But Town began to get back on top and in the 24th minute Jonas Knudsen smashed over a low cross from the left which Owls keeper Cameron Dawson dropped but the ball was cleared by Thorniley from inside the six-yard box before Edun or Harrison were able to pounce.

The Blues continued to play the better football but without looking particularly dangerous either from open play or set pieces with a number of potentially promising freekicks having come to nothing.

But in the 40th minute Town levelled. In the aftermath a corner on the right, an Edwards ball into the box from the left deflected into the air on the edge of the box. Edun nodded into the area, Chambers headed on and Nsiala planted a third header past Dawson from six yards.

The Wednesday players and crowd protested vociferously that the centre-half was offside but referee Jeremy Simpson waved away the protests. Replays suggested Harrison was offside but not Nsiala and that the referee was right to allow it.

Soon after the goal Bannan, evidently still annoyed, was booked for his protest having been penalised for a foul. In the final scheduled minute Atdhe Nuhiu joined him in the book for a cynical trip on the breaking Nolan.

Town ended the half the stronger side and in injury time weren’t too far away from going in front on two occasions.

First an Edun corner from the left was flicked on and Nsiala’s header at the back post was kept out by combination of Dawson and Palmer on the line.

Then shortly before the whistle, Harrison ran on to his own knockdown, cut in from the left and hit a goal-bound shot which Dawson bundled away down to his left.

The home fans booed referee Simpson off following the whistle, still believing that the Town goal shouldn’t have stood.

Whether that decision was right - as it appeared to be - or otherwise the Blues hadn’t deserved to go in behind having been the better side during the first half.

Wednesday’s goal had come against the run of the game at that stage with Town having played the better football in the early period, albeit without looking overly threatening.

Having gone behind via another set piece goal, the Blues took time to re-establish their ascendency but they gradually began to pass the ball around confidently.

They were rewarded with the equaliser and might well have found themselves ahead at the break given the two late chances.

The Blues began the second half on top, winning a couple of early corners which Edun and Nolan took short.
"From the second, in the 51st minute, Harrison pulled off an overhead kick but straight at Dawson. The Owls keeper kicked long quickly and Marco Matias got in behind the Blues’ backline as Knudsen was unable to cut it out but rather fortunately for Town the Owls forward shot wide.

Wednesday threatened again moments later, Matt Penney cutting back from the right to the edge of the box from where Bannan struck a powerful low effort which Knudsen blocked on the line.

Jackson struck a deflected shot on the turn from a Knudsen throw from the left which looped through to Dawson on 62 with the Blues still on top of an increasingly open game.

Wednesday briefly put Town under a spell of pressure but after Donacien cleared a Bannan cross, Harrison broke strongly down the left but failed to find Nolan with a pass inside with Edwards in acres of space on the right.

On 70 Knudsen was booked for pulling back Joao as they battled for a bouncing ball with the Owls starting to take control.

Two minutes later, Palmer scuffed wide from the edge of the box, before Fernando Forestieri replaced Matias.

Then, in the 75th minute, the Blues were reduced to 10 men on contentious circumstances for the second successive Saturday.

Nsiala slid in and cleanly won the ball from Forestieri, who collided with the Town defender in the aftermath. It looked a perfectly good challenge but referee Simpson immediately ran over and showed his red card to the amazed Nsiala, who complained bitterly at the decision before walking off and then again to the fourth official as he left the pitch.

The resultant freekick led to a corner from which the Owls took the lead. Joao initially headed Bannan’s flag-kick off the post but followed up to net his second of the game.

Flynn Downes replaced Edun for Town as the Blues prepared to restart, while Wednesday goalscorer Joao was withdrawn for Steven Fletcher.

With 10 minutes left the Blues had a chance to level. Harrison was found breaking into the area and looked set to stab the bouncing ball past Dawson but before he could do so a Wednesday defender hooked it away from him.

Harrison suffered a knock as the game moved into its final five minutes and Freddie Sears took over.

Fletcher shot wide for Wednesday on 87, but Town kept pressing as the game went into four minutes of injury time.

The Blues’ last chance was Nolan freekick which was nodded back by Chambers was but was cleared from the area and Nolan’s subsequent shot was scuffed wide. Soon after, the final whistle confirmed what was an undeserved and unfortunate defeat for the Blues.

There was no doubt that the game’s key moment was Nsiala’s red card, Town appearing certain to lodge an appeal against the dismissal which would see the defender miss three games. Although Wednesday had started to get on top at that stage, Town had been in relatively little danger, while looking like they might threaten on the break.

The Blues hadn’t reorganised for the freekick which followed and then conceded from the corner immediately afterwards.

Having been the better side before the break Town had continued where they had left off at the start of the second, although without having tested Dawson further, and the game looked like anyone’s to win going into the final quarter of an hour.

The Blues still remain winless under new manager Paul Hurst - a Sheffield Wednesday supporter - and are bottom of the league going into next Sunday’s East Anglian derby at home to Norwich.

Sheffield Wednesday: Dawson, Palmer, Pelupessy, Bannan, Thorniley, Lees (c), Nuhui, Joao (Fletcher 79), Matias (Forestieri 72), Reach, Penney. Unused: Wildsmith, Fox, Hutchinson, Kirby, Baker.

Town: Bialkowski, Donacien, Nsiala, Chambers (c), Knudsen, Chalobah, Nolan, Edun, Edwards, Jackson, Harrison (Sears 85). Unused: Gerken, Spence, Ward, Roberts, Sears, Downes, Kenlock. Referee: Jeremy Simpson (Lancashire). Att: 22,499.

Photo: Pagepix

Blue56 added 17:37 - Aug 25 Four games in and the Manager saying nothing to fear, now seriously concerned, Norwich on Sunday week.....
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blue_moon09 added 17:38 - Aug 25 Just leaving Hillsborough, very worrying where are the goals coming from? On hurst he talks a good game but not impressed so far very disappointed with the tactics which are no better than McCarthy's. Also think there were too many changes in the summer club didn't need a massive overhaul of players, I'm also fuming about our promising young players not been given a chance. Hurst will take town down. Dreading next week Be careful what you wish for. BFN

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Swn98 added 17:41 - Aug 25 Not everyone karlosfandangal!!!
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Bluewelshman added 17:41 - Aug 25 No Way we should have lost this game. Another poor referee, no way Nsiala should have been sent off, it was a very good tackle, it will be appealed successfully. Better creativity in the first half, but again no finishers on show for town. Chalobah is still not a midfielder, his passes and decision making was poor (to be fair it wasn't that good across the board), to quote Mathie "does he know what colour were playing in". Bart is not himself yet this season, I'm not confident when the opposition has a corner because Bart is not coping with crosses well at all. Harrison should have scored when he was through, but may be it was a lack of confidence but he waited...waited...waited, and couldnt finish, very poor for a striker. To me Chambers was our best player, he was getting his head to the ball every time it got near him, and gave everything for the team. I'm still not having fits of "WERE GOING TO GET RELEGATED", because I'm a big boy and realise this season is 5 matches in, but there is a flutter of "Paul please sort out the attack". The biggest problem with this result is the knowledge of the "BCWYWF" brigade sitting listening hoping that we fail so they can say "I told you so" while they...well lets not go down that dark path. Lets keep supporting this new future and not lose hope. COYB

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geminimustang added 17:41 - Aug 25 "Karlosfandangal added 17:33 - Aug 25 Stop moaning . Everyone wanted MM out and everyone was screaming to get Hurst in. The football is far better and more entertaining and mid table is the best we could hope for this season. Fingers crossed it will come good and we end up mid table, or worst case we go down but with the side we have now Town will bounce straight back up". Not true,on a number of counts.Only the vocal minority wanted Mick out.Is it entertaining to be bottom?A huge number of Supporters realised the issue was the lacking of funding.Town won't jump straight back up due to the lack of funding.The drop will mean less revenue,job cuts across the club.The sad part is the toxicity of last season means MM won't come back.My God,we need him already!Over to you ME.You got us into this mess,now get us out.

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MickCuresInsomnia added 17:42 - Aug 25 Stop panicking people..........under RK we hadn't managed a victory in the first 15 games and ended up mid table. It sounds like we've been unlucky today as we were last week too. Could do with a couple more attack minded players (on-loan) to assist over a season but apart from that, let's be patient. Danny f**kups lot next.........KEEP THE FAITH 🐥🤛🚜

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Sm00411 added 17:42 - Aug 25 It's too early to be concerned because teams are having a large element of luck to beat us. The "foul" which led to Nsiala's red (and Sheff Wed goal) is an embarassment. When we start getting outclassed and beat, then we need to be worried. If we keep playing as we are the results will come, and what better way to turn it around than against Norwich next week.
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Town7579 added 17:47 - Aug 25 True we would bounce back with this team. But we won't have this team cause anyone half decent won't want to hang about and a championship club will nab them and all the youth.
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BaddowBlue1 added 17:49 - Aug 25 Tilt not in Blackpool side, not even on the bench, so hopefully we will have a left centre back in place by next weekend. Rough end of the stick again today, keep the faith
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bluearmy81 added 17:52 - Aug 25 Roy Keane's second season after nine games was P9 W0 D4 L5 . That was our worst start to a season for donkeys years. Hopefully we won't match that record but the signs don't look good. How far this club has fallen since Evans took over ! When we got relegated in 2002 it was a case of competing to get promoted again. Now just staying up will be classed as an achievement. We have now been overtaken by so many clubs on both footballing and financial fronts.

8

jas0999 added 17:53 - Aug 25 I'm worried. Not because we lost, but because as the weeks go by, it seems to be even more apparent that this squad isn't good enough. Hard working and perhaps a bit unlucky today, but how many times does this type of thing happen to below average sides who ultimately get relegated? We can't blame decisions. Our defending at set pieces isn't good enough. Neither is our squad. Fitness seems to be an issue to. The bottom line is we have failed to win a game all season. It's not good enough, whatever spin folk try to put on it. For me, our strike force isn't good enough to win matches. We don't have enough CBs. It's a bad situation. Decisions to sell top players at this level, replace with inexperience, whilst making transfer fee profits was always going to be problematic. Evans needs to reinvest that money. Quickly.

10

Suffolkboy added 17:56 - Aug 25 There's enough on here already to spur thoughts of doom and doubt ,but the lack of initiative is again exposed( nobody to meet crosses , pick up loose balls OR get organised for a free kick from which the opposition scored ) and these reveal either Management weaknesses or lack of cohesive thinking from the players : in which case it must be to do with too many newcomers not yet understanding & gelling ; OR they simply haven't learned to cope with Championship level football .Whatever & however , these challenges MUST be sorted by PH & CD ; we can't rely on luck / or not going in our favour ; scoring more goals than the opposition always wins matches and points ! Simple really ?- but has the message hit home with ITFC management ? Come on everybody at our Club , give us something to cheer about ,rather than just speculate about if or when it's going to happen ! Up the Town !

2

pragmatic added 17:57 - Aug 25 Whilst I was not a Mick outer/abuser I accepted time for him to go & will support Paul Hurst & the team to better fortunes, this season as it stands tho we need 53 more points from 123 hopefully with a few goals & entertainment along the way.
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tractorboybig added 17:57 - Aug 25 if the div one donkies being played by hurst are better than some of our youngsters CLOSE THE ACADAMY NOW
0

Michael101 added 17:58 - Aug 25 So all you people calling for mad Mick to return, well you want to see a ground with 300people in it,the ball being kicked 25 miles into the air so you will need a Patrick Moore telescope to see the darn thing, being swore at by your great leader at least you will be able to get some shut eye be carefully what you wish for
5

BraveDave added 18:00 - Aug 25 Glad to see most people are staying positive. Of course results ultimately matter, and we have given away some soft goals, which is worrying. However, at no time have we been significantly outplayed, let alone humiliated. The red card today was beyond belief, and if it hadn't happened, who knows? Same against Villa. Should have beaten Rotherham, and even our poorest defeat (Derby) could have gone either way prior to the goal. I know these are all 'ifs', and if we go another 4 or 5 games without a win, I will be worried. But at the moment we have not had any luck, yet are still showing enough to make me confident of good times ahead. Norwich won't know what's hit them!

5

Trac70 added 18:00 - Aug 25 Lots of people making valid comments about lack of goals BUT we're also conceding goals for fun from set pieces!!! Bart is well off his previous form and several set pieces are leading to woeful defending and silly/costly goals. The old saying is build from the back. If you don't concede you can't lose. I'm not talking about putting 11 men behind the ball either.
1

FromIpswichToPhoenix added 18:00 - Aug 25 On the bright side, we can't go any lower this season... Rough start, but we'll get there if we stop getting a-hole refs....
4

midastouch added 18:02 - Aug 25 Since Evans took over it's felt akin to a very long hellish game of snakes and ladders, you know like when you're on the 2nd row from the top and yet you have the misfortune to land on the square with the almighty snake that takes you almost back to square one! In Evans we COMBUST!
4

OwainG1992 added 18:03 - Aug 25 Im gonna try remain positive for now. A harsh red card changed the game. We really need to be Norwich now though.
4

EssexTractor added 18:04 - Aug 25 Sky Sports cameras suggests the referee almost got his red card out before the tackle/ interception/ Nsiala kicking the BALL, before that ball was kicked That's initial perception . If there is an appeal will that be only view taken by adjudicators? So it seems an injustice there. However, who looked at the Wednesday scorer for goal number one..Donacien? Whoever it was dreadful defending. As for the second another sad defensive work by the team. Too many times have we had to thank our keeper I cannot blame him for defeat, and neither will I now, yes underperforming but what real help in defending potentially different situations does he get..well not enough, for a team that can't rebound by netting at the other end. Yes it is only August but as many have remarked where are the goals coming from.? We want this manager to succeed, surely we do, after years of dismaying times. But did the appointee Marcus Evans entrust him too much? Was there no one at all who questioned the purchase of so many players from lower Leagues? No experienced third party to help? I know nothing of Mr Doig, other than he seems to be the equivalent of TC to MM..was he the only sounding board ? Yes some bad luck in these early days but this Championship is a fearful place to be, even when winning, at the lower end even in August it can become very dark.... I realise many are Championing the signature of Curtis Tilt ( who looks impressive at Blackpool) but we need a proper inspirational midfielder ( how long have we asked for that!) and wherever be is an "old fashioned" central attacker who won't get blown off the ball. Many more points to play for..we need some soon..to lift everyone spirits. Many questions

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runningout added 18:04 - Aug 25 We didn't look threatening even if we controlled most of match. Wednesday must think it's xmas to get three points from that game. Chalobah let Joau have free header for first goal. It's right that we need a touch of luck, but most of the time you make your own luck. So no feeling sorry for ourselves. Onwards and upwards
2

Gforce added 18:04 - Aug 25 I think there is a fair chance the scum fans will be singing going down,going down, followed by your getting sacked in the morning.Really hope we have a couple of quality premier league signings in before next week,hopefully go straight into the team to give the side the boost it clearly needs.Let's all get behind the boys and ram those words back down their throats.
2

grinch added 18:05 - Aug 25 I am sorry but cant keep blaming refs and luck the second half we were poor very poor against a poor wednesday team and yes it is the 5th game but the fact of the matter is we are in trouble dont bury your head in the sand this is a poor town team we need some loan players in quick or play the youngsters these league 1 players are struggling i think even marwich must be releived were next for them we are bottom of the championship and yes it is time to worry 1 attacker again with the other in mudfield looking like a striker out of position where will goals come from that is the problem all that promise seems to be draining quicker than the orwell at the moment

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Pezzer added 18:08 - Aug 25 Certainly tough to take but it does seem like there is a conspiracy against us as another very harsh red card. Sometimes it's a case of having to suck it up and carry on in the fave of adversity- I think if we play two proper up front and try to bring in Kenlock, Downes and Dozzell along with getting a bit if luck or at least a decent referee, we can get some better results. I was fuming earlier but I think we have been competitive in every game. Ps not sure our keeper is playing well either.

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