Bristol City vs Sheffield Wednesday. Sky Bet Championship.
Ashton Gate.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash at Ashton Gate
Sunday 27 September 2020 17:00, UK
Tommy Rowe and Jamie Paterson netted second-half goals as Bristol City maintained their flying start to the Championship season with a 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Ashton Gate.
Left wing-back Rowe turned up in the centre of goal to slide home from close range after Chris Martin headed into his path on 59 minutes, and Paterson made sure of the outcome in stoppage time with a low right-footed finish from 12 yards.
It meant maximum points from their first three games for the Robins under new head coach Dean Holden, whose side move joint top of the table.
For Wednesday, it was a first league defeat of the season as they look to overcome a 12-point deduction for breaching spending rules.
The visitors carved out the better chances in a first half high on effort but low on quality.
The first fell to Kadeem Harris in the fifth minute but he was unable to control a Liam Palmer cross at the far post.
Tyreeq Bakinson shot wide for City before their goalkeeper Dan Bentley had to make the first save of the game to keep out a 12th-minute shot by Elias Kachunga.
Nahki Wells fired over following a City free-kick, but Bentley was brought into action again on 29 minutes after a Harris run and shot.
Josh Windass shot wide after City had surrendered possession in a dangerous area and Wednesday finished the half strongly.
Windass put a first-time shot wide from a Kachunga cross as the interval approached with City having failed to manufacture a clear opening.
That changed six minutes after the break when Wells found space inside the box and his low cross was just beyond Andreas Weimann racing in at the far post.
Wednesday keeper Cameron Dawson then had to show quick reactions to parry Taylor Moore's glancing header from a Paterson free-kick.
Rowe had a shot blocked with City on top for the first time. Wednesday failed to heed the warning and the wing-back's goal followed moments later.
Wells fired over when he might have made it 2-0 and the visitors looked rattled. For the second time in the game Weimann just failed to connect with a low Wells cross.
Moore miskicked when presented with a chance following a corner and it was all City until Massimo Luongo broke down the right on 75 minutes only to be denied by a brave Bentley save.
Garry Monk sent on Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Adam Reach and Jordan Rhodes in a bid to salvage a point and Wednesday went close to an equaliser when Harris fired narrowly wide.
But it was Paterson who had the final say for a City team playing with increasing confidence.
Bristol City's Dean Holden: "It's three wins from three and, particularly with Covid-19 causing so much distress, I would not want to deprive our supporters of something to smile about.
"But inside the club the feeling is only to focus fully on the next game. I have had managers call me already telling me to enjoy it and I will do that, without getting carried away in any sense.
"The lads have taken on board what we want from them. Wednesday were the better side in the first half if I am honest, but we tweaked a few things at the break and the first goal changed the game.
"Chris Martin showed his experience with the header down for the first goal and Tommy Rowe did well to get into a central position from wing-back to get on the end of it.
"Jamie Paterson has been brilliant with both assists and goals since he returned from his loan spell last season and it was a great finish by him."
Sheffield Wednesday's Garry Monk: "We were the better side in the first half and created some good chances without being able to take them," he said.
"When you do that in a game, you know that good teams are going to come back at you at some stage.
"We knew it was going to be a tight match against opponents in good form and had we scored when on top it might have been a different story.
"But we couldn't quite get our noses in front and you need things to go right for you in front of goal.
"Now it is all about how we react to our first defeat and we must do so positively.
"A lot of things were wrong last season and one of them was that we didn't respond well to setbacks.
"Anyone who watches us can see that we are playing better football. But we have to become consistent."
