Sheff Weds v Aston Villa 17/08/96 3.00

Sheff Weds              (0) 2 Aston Villa             (0) 1 FT
Humphries 56                  Johnson 88
Whittingham 84                

Teenager Richie Humphreys stole the limelight from big-money buy Andy Booth as Sheffield Wednesday claimed the points with a sizzling second-half show.

The 18-year-old was handed only his second full appearance and his first at Hillsbrough because of an Achilles tendon injury to David Hirst.

And he responded in style, lashing home his first senior goal with a thunderous 56th minute volley after Mark Pembridge had teed him up with a well-placed header.

Guy Whittingham, playing against his old club, doubled Wednesday's lead by heading home an 84th minute corner from Regi Blinker and even though Tommy Johnson replied with a close-range header from an Alan Wright cross, Wednesday held on.

It was a deserved opening day success for the Owls, who handed full debuts to Booth, a £2.65million buy from Huddersfield, and Wayne Collins, who cost £600,000 from Crewe, as well as bringing Scott Oakes (£425,000 from Luton) on as a second-half substitute.

While he did not make the scoresheet, Booth, who netted 21 goals for Huddersfield last season, looked commanding in the air and showed signs that he could forge a useful partnership with Blinker.

The all-action second-half, which also featured a fine save from Dwight Yorke by Kevin Pressman, was in direct contrast to a scrappy first half during which neither side looked completely at ease.

Wednesday shaded the opening 10 minutes, with Booth breaking through, only to flash a 15-yard shot too high.

At the other end Pressman moved smartly to deny the on-rushing Yorke after 12 minutes and the Wednesday goalkeeper was relieved to see former team-mate Ian Taylor's header from Andy Townsend's 21st minute corner fly inches over.

Booth was back in the thick of things after 34 minutes, this time bringing a fine save from Villa's Michael Oakes, who was making his Premiership debut in place of the injured Mark Bosnich.

But it was Villa who finished the first half the stronger, with Johnson rolling a pass right across the face of the home goal before being unable to connect with a similar ball from Taylor.

Sheff Weds: Pressman, Atherton, Nolan, Pembridge (Hyde, 72), Walker, Whittingham, Booth, Blinker, Stefanovic, Collins, Humphries (Oakes, 80).

Subs not used: Clarke, Nicol, Sheridan.

Aston Villa: Oakes, Murray (Joachim, 63), Wright, Ehiogu, Southgate, Staunton, Taylor, Draper, Townsend, Yorke, Johnson.

Subs not used: McGrath, Farrelly, Scimeca, Rachel.

Attendance: 26,861.

Referee: L R Dilkes (Mossley).