Football: Hodgson's black Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday 3 Atherton 18, Hinchcliffe 33, Di Canio 87 Blackburn Rovers 0 Attendance: 20,846

THE GERMANS have not explained why they withdrew their offer to Roy Hodgson to manage their national team. Perhaps they sent someone to watch his current Blackburn side, whose inept performance would not attract a takeover bid from Radio Lancashire, let alone Rupert Murdoch.

Wednesday had failed to register in either the goals or points columns in their previous games at Hillsborough this season, but there was never much risk of that record remaining intact. If their finishing had matched their approach work, they would have won by twice the margin.

Colin Hendrie's departure has left a hole in the Blackburn back four through which Wednesday swarmed with impunity. Benito Carbone, Petter Rudi and Wim Jonk all went close before Paolo di Canio's cross from the left was flicked back by Andy Booth for Peter Atherton, Wednesday's captain, who drove the ball past Tim Flowers from just inside the penalty area.

Then di Canio, clearly feeling no after-effects from the gastroenteritis which kept him out of the side at Derby in midweek, skipped past three defenders before Tim Sherwood brought him down 20 yards out. Sherwood was booked and Andy Hinchcliffe doubled his troubles by curling the free- kick into the right-hand corner.

With Blackburn's strikers starved of possession, the biggest impact the pounds 7.25m Kevin Davies made on his return to his home city was a booking for a late tackle. When Blackburn's only chance came his way he shot straight at Kevin Pressman, who will need to go out chasing car thieves again if he wants his usual quota of weekend exercise.

Although Blackburn improved marginally after half time, the best chances still fell to Wednesday, and di Canio and Carbone made Italian meals of the two simplest. But Carbone will have regretted more his fourth consecutive booking - each of them awarded for failing to retire at a free-kick - which will earn him an automatic suspension.

However, Carbone made up for his misdemeanour in the 87th minute with a cross which found di Canio waiting on the far post to put the finishing touch to a miserable afternoon for Blackburn.