Neil hit by Musaba’s fatal blow

SHEFFIELD WEDS

STOKE gave a debut to karate kid keeper Tommy Simkin but an Owls late show pushed Potters boss Alex Neil closer to the chop.

Neil had been forced into giving 19-year-old Simkin, a junior karate champion, a first start after number one stopper Jack Bonham picked up an injury in training.

But Simkin was left stranded two minutes into added time when two Wednesday substitutes combined to sink Stoke. A neat pass from Djeidi Gassama set Anthony Musaba on a free route to goal and he went on to bury his shot past Simkin.

Cue mass boos from the fed-up Stoke fans and a chant of ‘Neil your football is s**t.’ The end could be looming with Swansea up next at the bet365 Stadium on Tuesday night.

An honest Neil admitted: “I have to take my medicine and get on with it. I can’t deny the recent games have been unacceptable. Today we somehow managed to throw the game away. The dressing room is flat as a pancake.”

It could have been different if the home side, who have now lost four consecutive games, had accepted the lifeline handed to them in the 62nd minute.

Josh Laurent went tumbling in the box from an Enda Stevens cross and referee David Coote pointed to the spot only for Ryan Mmaee to blow the chance, Cameron Dawson diving to his left to pull off a fine save.

For Owls boss Danny Rohl it’s now seven points from the last three games. He said: “We’re off the bottom and that’s a huge step.

“My players still believe and in the end they got something.”

STOKE: Simkin 6; Gooch 7, Mcnally 6, Clark 6, Stevens 6 (Hoever (70) 6); Burger 6, Pearson 6; Laurent 6 (Wesley (75) 6); Leris 6 (Rose (75) 6), Mmaee 5 (Vidigal (86) 5), Junho 5 SHEFFIELD WEDS: Dawson 7; Palmer 7, Bernard 7, Diaby 7, Famewo 6 (Ihjiekwe (69) 6); Byers 6 (Smith (79) 6), Bannan 7, Vaulks 6, Johnson 6; Windass 6 (Gassama (79) 6); Cadamarteri 5 (Musaba (58) 6) STAR MAN: Cameron Dawson – Kept the Owls’ show going with a vital penalty save. REF: David Coote 7