Dave Challinor’s first league game in charge ended in a 3-0 win at Hillsborough, which looked very unlikely during the first half-hour. Before this he’d gone out of the FA Cup at Oldham and seen a young side lose 4-0 to Accrington in the Trophy. Plymouth came to Sheffield three points better off and in the play-off places. The scoreline makes the afternoon look comfortable. It wasn’t, not for a long time.
This was the first chance to see what Challinor’s proper side looks like. Joe Lumley, Liam Cooper, Sil Swinkels and Billy Mitchell all returned from injury.
Argyle should have been ahead by half-time. Curtis forced Lumley into a save towards the top corner with a shot from distance on ten minutes. A minute later, after a corner, Will Evans shot just wide from the edge of the six-yard box. Mathias Ross then had two free headers in the middle of the box, on 20 and 22 minutes, and missed the target with both. Lumley also had to save from Bradley Ibrahim at a tight angle and hold a long shot from Evans. Wednesday rarely threatened.
The game turned just before the break. Mitchell was booked on 41 minutes, which hardly suggested he’d be the one to change it. Wednesday then won three corners in a row, and shots from Keillor-Dunn and Bernard were blocked. From the next corner Mitchell shot from the centre of the box, and a deflection took it in. Wednesday probably didn’t deserve to lead at the interval, but they did.
Lumley kept them ahead after the break, saving low from Curtis six minutes into the second half. Plymouth kept creating chances, and Amaechi headed wide from an Ibrahim cross. Over the 90 minutes Argyle created more than Wednesday did. Both sides had 14 shots, but Plymouth finished with 1.76 expected goals to Wednesday’s 1.28.
The game was settled in two minutes. Wes Harding was booked for handball, and from the set piece that followed Keillor-Dunn turned the ball in from very close range. Two minutes later, Di’Shon Bernard broke out from the back, kept running and drove a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom corner. It was his first goal since January 2025. It was also the best moment of a very good afternoon for him. He won his headers and dealt well with Plymouth’s pressure. Then he finished the game off with a goal a striker would have been happy with.
Challinor’s changes helped Wednesday see the game out. It’s very good to have Louie Barry back. He replaced Barry Bannan with 17 minutes left, ran directly at defenders and kept winning free kicks, which gave Plymouth a problem they hadn’t had to deal with until then. Harry Gray came on for Keillor-Dunn after the third goal and did well too, keeping Plymouth busy as they pushed forward. Both looked good, and they give Challinor options he didn’t have before.
Lumley was outstanding, Bernard was excellent at both ends and Mitchell scored the goal that changed the game. Challinor still has work to do on how much his side gives away, because the clean sheet leaned heavily on Plymouth’s poor finishing. But three goals, three points and a climb to fifth is a strong start to his time in charge.
Teams
Sheffield Wednesday: Lumley; Bernard, Cooper, Swinkels; Valery, Heskey, Mitchell, Lowe (Palmer), Slattery, Bannan (Barry), Keillor-Dunn (Gray). Subs not used: Santos, Trueman, Weaver, Thornton.
Plymouth Argyle: M. Cooper; Harding, Ross, Hartridge; Curtis, Boateng, White (Oseni), MacKenzie (Irow), Amaechi, Ibrahim (Watts), Evans. Subs not used: Storer, Campbell, Mwaro, Maund.
Goals: Mitchell 45', Keillor-Dunn 80', Bernard 82'
Booked: Mitchell, L. Cooper (Wednesday); Curtis, White, Harding (Plymouth)