Owls stay in play-off hunt despite poor show

Wednesday kept up our play-off aspirations with a point from a far from convincing goalless draw at struggling Gillingham this afternoon.

Once again, we found it difficult against a side playing a pressing game and managed just two efforts on target in the entire 90 minutes.

However, we remain in seventh place and just a point and one spot adrift of the play-offs. We have a game in hand on sixth-placed Sunderland and are three points behind Oxford in fifth, who have also played a match more than us.

We were fortunate to go in on level terms at half time at Gillingham after a lacklustre first-half display.

The home side looked the ream who wanted it more from the off and our only threat came from a Jordan Storey header which went wide at the far post from Barry Bannan’s corner.

Gillingham had the best chance of the half, Charlie Kelman testing Bailey Peacock-Farrell with a 20-yarder and when the rebound dropped to ex-Owl Vadaine Oliver he shot straight at the keeper from close-in.

Gillingham were straight back at us from the start of the second half, Sam Hutchinson getting caught in possession as he looked to run the ball back to Peacock-Farrell but thankfully Kelman was unable to take advantage.

We gradually got some kind of foothold on the game as the hour-mark arrived and Lee Gregory sent a speculative angled drive off target.

The same player headed over soon afterwards when he might have done better and then a low Bannan effort from 20 yards was tipped away for a corner by Aaron Chapman.

With Wednesday enjoying their best spell, Bannan sent another long-ranger inches too high and Gregory went close again … but that was as good as it got for us.

Indeed, it could have been worse in added time when Oliver took advantage of more hesitant defending but saw his effort go just wide.

If we had beaten Accrington in midweek then a draw at Gillingham might have been taken as acceptable by the majority of Wednesday fans.

However, the manner of the two performances coupled with just two points, has not been good enough.

Peacock-Farrell, Hunt (Mendez-Laing 61), Storey, Dunkley, Hutchinson, Johnson, Byers (Dean 79), Luongo, Bannan, Paterson (Berahino 61), Gregory. Unused subs: Wildsmith, Iorfa, Sow, Kamberi. Att: 7,433 (3,295 Wednesdayites).

 

 

 

 

 

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