Darren Moore admits Sheffield Wednesday have a huge task ahead in second leg
- Planet Sport writer
- 13 May 2023
Sheffield Wednesday boss Darren Moore acknowledged the club face an uphill task to overturn a four goal deficit in the second leg of their play-off semi-final with Peterborough.
Peterborough, who snuck into the top six on the final day, put the shell-shocked Sheffield Wednesday to the sword at the Weston Homes Stadium on Friday night.
Cameron Dawson's howler from Jack Taylor's strike before Joe Ward's shot took a cruel deflection saw the hosts go 2-0 up before half-time.
Kwame Poku and Jonson Clarke-Harris, with his 29th goal of the season, finished the job and left Wednesday with an absolute mountain to climb in the return fixture next week.
The Owls' bid for a Championship return has already had chapters of heartache.
Last season they lost in the play-offs to eventually promoted Sunderland.
And this term their 96 points was the highest total ever in the Football League without earning promotion after they finished third.
Punch-drunk Owls' boss Moore reflected: "It's a bad night for us tonight.
"It's a huge task, we know that. They've got the four-goal advantage, but all we can do is reflect on the game and get ready for next week. It is a big uphill task.
"I can totally understand the disappointment and frustration because there was real hope. There was vigour among the boys and our supporters.
"It's a disappointing night, but as manager you've got to try and keep your composure and get the lads ready for next week."
On Dawson's mistake for the first goal, Moore added: "There's a lot of negativity when mistakes happen in games. Nine times out of 10 Cameron deals with that situation.
"On a night like that when your emotions are a little bit more flared it's probably a lapse in concentration.
"It's normally a routine save and the other one's a deflected shot and then we're two down."
