Alan Irvine's reign at Sheffield Wednesday gets off to the perfect start at South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley.
Wednesday triumph in South Yorkshire derby
Alan Irvine's reign at Sheffield Wednesday got off to the perfect start with a victory over their bitter South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley.
Tommy Spurr made the most of some poor defending from Luke Steele and Carl Dickinson by prodding home a third-minute opener for the Owls.
Barnsley were back on level terms four minutes later after an error from Lee Grant.
The Owls goalkeeper completely misread Emile Hallfredsson's cross and watched red-faced as the ball found its way into the net.
Wednesday battled on and sealed the win when Marcus Tudgay sent Jermaine Johnson through and the winger rifled expertly home.
Rival fans threatened to spill out of their respective stands in the closing stages as emotions ran high, but police ensured the day belonged to Irvine.
Bobby Hassell and Anderson De Silva made way for Adam Hammill and Nathan Doyle in Barnsley's line-up, while Irvine tinkered with Wednesday's starting XI as Lewis Buxton, Johnson and Michael Gray all returned to the side.
Wednesday forced two corners in the opening exchanges and gave Irvine the perfect start by taking the lead from the second.
Gray swung the ball in and after Steele failed to gather, Spurr turned the ball home from no more than three yards.
But Wednesday's wild celebrations were short-lived as Barnsley levelled in fortuitous circumstances.
Spectacular
Home defender Carl Dickinson played the ball back to Hallfredsson on the left edge of the visitors' penalty area and the Iceland international's whipped cross curled over the stranded Grant and into the far corner.
Grant saved brilliantly when Daniel Bogdanovic bore down on goal in the 16th minute and from the subsequent corner Tykes skipper Stephen Foster's header bounced inches over the crossbar.
But Wednesday regained the lead in spectacular fashion in the 21st minute.
Johnson raced on to Tudgay's headed pass and lashed home a stunning angled volley, right-footed, from just inside the area.
West Midlands referee Andy Penn waved away Barnsley claims for a penalty soon after when Hallfredsson went down in the box.
Potter denied Barnsley a second equaliser as half-time approached when he cleared Foster's header from Hammill's corner off the goalline.
Owls winger Johnson, full of confidence, twice threatened early in the second half, but the game was not as easy on the eye as it had been before the break.
Both sides gave the ball away too frequently and whenever Barnsley fashioned anything like an opening, the Owls defended as if their lives depended on it.
Tykes manager Robins sent on Iain Hume, Andy Gray and Jamal Campbell-Ryce for Hallfredsson, Jon Macken and Bogdanovic with 25 minutes remaining, but Wednesday were never going to surrender their lead meekly with the rare scent of victory in their nostrils.
