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Analysis: Sheffield Wednesday's building performance gave reason for encouragement, despite flaws When Bolton Wanderers were well on top in the opening half-hour, with Sheffield Wednesday's defence all at sea, it looked like being a bubble-bursting afternoon at Hillsborough. Helped by a red card for Bolton’s Xavier Simons, the Owls built their way to a 1-0 League Cup victory over Championship opposition, just as they will have to build back to being the club they should be in the mind's eye of supporters, but have not been for an uncomfortably long time. It took a brilliant finish from Jamal Lowe, a centre-forward who has only scored seven times in 69 Owls league appearances, to decide a game of just four shots on target. But if, in the reverse of last season, 2026-27 is going to be more about results than performances, we cannot keep shifting the goalposts back then they get the job done. "We have to hurry up very patiently," was manager Henrik Pedersen's phrase the day before the game, knowing the scale of the job but the impatience for results, particularly now his club is in League One. Everything was not going to be perfect on day one – in some people's eyes days minus seven, with the league campaign not kicking off for another week – but that did not stop it being frustrating for a fanbase who have had their expectations pumped up ever since Hillsborough’s previous competitive game, in May. A lack of open turnstiles meant long queues behind the Kop, building work was going on inside the ground, and the North Stand was closed. As the one the main television cameras face, it was a bad advert for this new fan-driven era, the white letters N and S still there in the seats, a reminder that they once egotistically spelt out Chansiri. In the press box at least, at times the "world-class wifi" promised was as slow as some of the first-half passing, struggling under the weight of what the club will hope is their smallest crowd this season – 15,834. At one point the scoreboard had it 4-0 to Bolton in what was then a very 0-0 game. A first-half hydration break and some League One standard refereeing hardly helped the mood or the match's futile search for rhythm. On the field at least, they got there. The Owls got on top even before ex-Hull City midfielder Simons hot-headedly retaliated to Harry Gray's pull of his shirt with a body punch. In Gray and Callum Slattery, Wednesday have two players who look a class above the third tier, and in Jordi Liongola someone who can produce moments that are. Lowe's lob over the goalkeeper and in off the post, belonged at a higher level. And once more they have Barry Bannan, whose lofted pass from his own half made it possible. They have a right-back who played at the World Cup and Yan Valery showed why with a brilliant piece of defending after Thierry Gale went past him at the end of the first half. But for much of it, Bolton's chances came down that side, via Gale. It was Gale's seventh-minute pull-back, with right-winger Liongola off the field, which produced a Luca Stephenson shot nearly diverted in by Sam Dalby. It was Gale’s ball Ruben Rodrigues scuffed wide, and his cross the Portuguese headed over. All should have been scored. As it was, Bolton's only shot on target was a Rodrigues free-kick routinely collected by Joe Lumley, one of two players, with Bannan, starting second spells at the club alongside six outright debutants. Wednesday's first-half passing was poor, its 68.5 per cent accuracy 20 per cent behind Bolton's, and on a par with bottom-placed Rotherham United's last season (though better than Lincoln City's). By full-time it had improved to 77.3 per cent. Slattery rose above it with clever distribution in the hole, and the hosts grew in confidence as the half went on, Gray controlling the ball on his shoulder to underline it. With Lingola on the right and Louie Barry on the bench after a disrupted week, plus Bannan capable of playing further forward, the Owls' "three-quarter line" of players behind the centre-forward in their 4-2-3-1 should be a real strength this season. So should substitutes. The hosts kept going after the break, Max Lowe very nearly stretching onto a Lingola cross, Gray unable to force the ball in after Bannan surged from midfield. But Simons opened the door and Wednesday were able to squeeze through, just not to score a second. At this club "reborn" hopefully Jamal Lowe's goal revitalises him after just four in horrendously trying circumstances last season. "Baz (Bannan) played a really good ball in behind and it's one of them where the goalie half-thought about coming for it and that kind of makes your mind up," he explained. "It was a good feeling. "Being a centre-forward is a funny one because you could play really well, not score and still feel that was disappointing or play awful and score and some people say, 'Oh you've done really well.' I didn't have a stinker and I scored. "It's good to get off the mark. It's only going to boost confidence." Wednesday did not have a stinker, nor were they perfect. But they won, and should be judged on that. Sheffield Wednesday: Lumley; Valery (Palmer 85), Swinkels, Otegbayo, M Lowe; Thornton (Barry 62), Bannan (Fusire 78); Liongoala, Slattery, Gray (Grainger 78); Burstow (J Lowe 62). Unused substitutes: Santos, McNeill, Trueman, Weaver. Bolton Wanderers: Bonham; Stephenson, Forino (Toal 72), Davies (Watson 72), Famewo; Sheehan, Simons; Larrazabal (Conway 62), Rodrigues (McAtee 72), Gale (Dong 72); Dalby. Unused substitutes: Harrington, Christie, Warren, Ritchie. Referee: E Bell (Bootle).