Burton pile on anguish for woeful Wednesday

Whoever becomes Sheffield Wednesday’s next manager faces a major rebuilding job. This hammering by struggling Burton leaves the owls far closer to the drop zone than the target area of the top six.

Goals from Tom Flanagan, Lloyd Dyer and Tom Naylor ensured boos rang out for a team who have won just one of their last 10 matches. Burton, by contrast, are unbeaten in four of the last five, including three victories.

Burton boss Nigel Clough looks as if he can repeat last season’s Championship survival. ‘The last five games have been wonderful performances and we could have had even more points,’ he said. ‘That was our best performance of the season.’

Well organised and fast on the break, Burton should have taken the lead from the spot after Jacob Butterfield tripped Will Miller, but Lucas Akins’s penalty was casual and Joe Wildsmith saved.

They did score after Flanagan’s slaloming run from midfield past lifeless opponents, drawing comparisons with Lionel Messi on Burton’s Twitter account.

Their second was also well taken but another embarrassment for Wednesday. Akins played a pass through a gaping hole and Dyer raced clear to sidefoot home.

Wednesday had more of the ball in the second half but Naylor tapped in from an Akins cross at the end.

‘The goals we lost you wouldn’t see in a school playground,’ said caretaker boss Lee Bullen. ‘The first goal is a joke. For someone to waltz 50 yards with the ball, through four or five players without anyone laying a glove on him, it’s embarrassing.’