ON a cold, dank, wet and breezy autumnal afternoon in October, Sheffield Wednesday had an ugly derby experience.
It was ghastly for the visitors, but delightful by comparison for Doncaster Rovers, who conjured their most important result of the campaign thus far.
Without a goal since August, their main goalscoring weapon last season in prolific captain Owen Bailey rewound the clock with an early brace to settle derby day.
It was one to forget for Henrik Pedersen, exposed to the elements.
Chants of ‘Sacked in the morning’ and ‘We want Pedersen out’ arrived from irate Wednesdayites after Rovers went 2-0 up.
Wednesday were better on the resumption, but it was a low bar. And the above chants were again heard from the away section, understandably peeved and feeling short-changed in the wake of Tuesday night’s non-event at Notts County. It continued after the final whistle.
Twelve places may have separated these two clubs before kick-off, but the feeling persisted that Wednesday - and not only Rovers - had yet to really get their League One season going.
Rovers resided in 19th place and were partway through a hard run of fixtures. Wednesday made the short trip up the M18 in a decidedly better league placing - seventh - yet they weren’t exactly in rude health.
That was reinforced in a thoroughly one-sided first half where Doncaster were delicious and Wednesday were woeful.
The Owls trailed 2-0 and it could have been a few more with their punters showing what they made of it all with boos at the half-time interval.
The changes beforehand were striking, with Grant McCann and Pedersen making five each.
For Rovers, Will Keane was handed a full debut - his previous league start was for Reading back on March 21.
Hakeeb Adelakun lined up from the off in a Rovers league fixture for the first time since August 29, while Jamie Sterry and Jack Senior - rated among the best full-backs in League One by the Rovers boss - were welcome returnees. Hutchinson was another starter.
As far as Wednesday were concerned, Ali Al-Hamadi started at league level after six previous substitute appearances.
Liam Palmer was handed just his second league start of 2026-27 and first since the opening day, with Max Lowe back following injury.
Kieran Morrison and Billy Mitchell also started, with Sil Swinkels, Sean Fusire and Ernie Weaver among the replacements. Loanee Harry Gray was not in the squad - with Wednesday allowed to include five loanees on a matchday only - alongside suspended duo Callum Slattery and Jamal Lowe and Di’Shon Bernard.
For much of the first half, Wednesday seemed to have forgotten this was a derby. They were second half to Rovers and outenthused, outfought and outfoxed.
Bailey was the beneficiary, with his axis with Hutchinson yielding two early goals.
Wednesday were passive, but also a mess tactically. After starting with a back three, they switched to a four, with Kieran Morrison moving from the left to the right.
The bravery that McCann wanted to see from his players with the ball was in evidence. Rovers were bold, front-foot, aggressive and won their duels.
Wednesday had a shot on target inside 30 seconds. They had none at Meadow Lane on Tuesday and seriously struggled in that department at Huddersfield. It was a false dawn.
Rovers soon led, with the visitors switching off from Hutchinson’s outswinging corner. As Wednesday dithered, Bailey lashed home the loose ball, low past Maynard-Brewer.
It got worse for Wednesday.
Rovers broke down the Owls left and feasted on space. With the visitors all over the place down their left after failing to clear a corner, Hutchinson picked out Bailey for a coolly-taken second, comfortably steering the ball past the exposed Maynard-Brewer.
The lively Leon Ayinde went close to a third, with Maynard-Brewer parrying his drive.
Adelakun had a couple of threatening moments before the Owls keeper got in a mess later in the half, racing out of goal injudiciously. He managed to back-track and make a desperate save to deny Ayinde before blocking Keane’s rebound.
It was not convincing at all and neither was the Owls’ grim first-half offering.
Hutchinson fired a good free-kick chance over early in the second half for Rovers, with Wednesday bringing on Mason Burstow at the break for Jayden Heskey. In truth, several other players could have also come off.
The Owls finally produced some ingenuity and threat when Barry Bannan tested Tommy Simkin after cutting inside down the right before Keillor-Dunn then blazed wildly over.
Simkin was soon forced to make another important save to deny Bannan low down. Wednesday were improved, but starting to play at 2-0 down is a whole lot different to when the game is level.
Simkin was involved again to make an important block to deny Al-Hamadi before keeping out Burstow’s low drive.
A quadruple change from McCann pointed to a touch of concern midway through the second period.
Simkin, seeing the ball late, got an important touch at full-stretch following Burstow’s faint header, which was otherwise destined for the far corner of his net.
The busy Rovers keeper then made another save to thwart Burstow.
At the other end, Bailey almost secured the match-ball with a header and May should have added a third after the Owls players were stranded upfield. Two was enough and the music wasn’t sweet for Pedersen.
Doncaster Rovers: Simkin; Sterry (Broadbent 68), Byrne, Grehan, Senior; Gotts, Bailey; Akinde, (McCann 81) Hutchinson (Hanlan 68), Adelakun (O’Reilly 68); Keane (May 68). Substitutes unused: Bryant, McGrath.
Sheffield Wednesday: Maynard-Brewer; Valery, Palmer, Cooper, M Lowe; Bannan, Mitchell; Morrison, Keillor-Dunn, Heskey (Burstow HT); Al-Hamadi (Grainger 80). Substitutes unused: Trueman, Fusire, Swinkels, Weaver, James.
Referee: R Martin (Gloucs)
Attendance: 11,257 (2,900 Sheffield Wednesday fans)