The Luc of love OWLS BOSS BRUCE: SO GLAD I’M BACK
SHEFF WED 1
TOP SCORER Lucas Joao fired Sheffield Wednesday to victory in new boss Steve Bruce’s first game in charge.
Bruce had landed the job a month ago, but was committed to a family holiday in the West Indies.
He swapped the sunshine of Barbados for the near- freezing temperature at Portman Road.
But he clearly loved every minute of it and grinned: “I’m glad I made the right decision.
“I was debating whether I still had the enthusiasm and the drive to warrant getting another job.
“But, once I got the phone call, I couldn’t resist it and the chairman was very understanding when I said I couldn’t start until a certain date.”
Joao came off the bench to decide it with a last- gasp winner that should have arrived a lot earlier.
The Owls looked like having to settle for a point from a one-sided affair they could have won with plenty to spare.
Bruce said: “We missed so many chances I was wondering if it was going to be one of those days.
“We must have had five or six wonderful opportunities that we didn’t take and that always puts you under a little bit of pressure
“I thought we were comfortable in the game and our keeper only had one save to make.”
Rock-bottom Ipswich are now eight points – plus goal difference – from safety.
Boss Paul Lambert (above), who has managed just two wins from his 16 games in charge, admitted: “They were better than us.
“We rode the storm in the first half and made a game of it in the second – but that late goal was a real blow.”
The Owls seized control early on and it needed a Bartosz Bialkowski save from Steven Fletcher to keep them out.
Barry Bannan’s netbound effort was blocked by Toto Nsiala and the f it- again Fernando F Fore s t ieri twi c e s squandered chances.
But the miss of the g game came when Adam R Reach, six yards out, l looped his shot high o over the top.
The pattern continued after the break, Forestieri somehow managing to miss the target just after the hour mark with just the keeper to beat.
Ipswich clawed their way back, but from their only effort on target Keiren Westwood saved from Trevoh Chalobah’s header.
Reach atoned for his earlier howler when he skipped past Myles Kenlock and pulled the ball back for Joao to lash into the net from 10 yards.