Wednesday started today’s game at Wycombe hoping to confirm a play-off place but ended up outside the top six after a 1-0 defeat.
Our chance of an automatic promotion slot also disappeared and with results elsewhere going against us, we now find ourselves in seventh on 79 points, one behind the three clubs immediately above us as we prepare for the last week of the league season.
Of that trio, we have a game in hand on Plymouth and Wycombe, while Sunderland sit in fourth with, like ourselves, two matches to play.
It also means we need to win at Fleetwood on Tuesday evening to ensure the hope of a play-off place is in our hands when we take on Portsmouth at Hillsborough in next Saturday’s league programme finale.
A draw at Fleetwood would leave us on 80 points, alongside Wycombe, Plymouth and possibly, Sunderland, who play their game in hand at home to Rotherham on Tuesday.
That would also mean at least three clubs – ourselves, Wycombe (away to Burton) and Plymouth (home to MK Dons) – all going into the final league day on 80 points and Sunderland (away to Morecambe) likewise if they lose to Rotherham in midweek.
Against Wycombe today, Wednesday created more of the chances in the first half with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing firing an early 20-yarder over the top.
Minutes later, Chey Dunkley looked to have given us the lead when he turned the ball home at the back post from Barry Bannan’s corner but he was controversially adjudged to have fouled his marker when it looked the other way round.
Neither side threatened early in the second period before Wycombe broke the deadlock just after the hour. We allowed the home side to build down the right-hand side and when Daryl Horgan squared the ball across goal there was Jordan Obita to tap home from close range.
There was limited response from Wednesday but Dunkley nodded over the top and the same player missed a good chance on 77 minutes, heading Bannan’s cross down into the ground and over the bar.
Then came our best best opportunity of the game six minutes from time, Bannan’s excellent cross to the far post picking out Callum Paterson but the sub heading over from close-in with the goal gaping.
Overall, we appeared to lack the belief, determination and urgency to win such an important game and have now heaped pressure on ourselves for those last two league games of the season.
Peacock-Farrell, Storey, Dunkley, Hutchinson, Mendez-Laing, Dele-Bashiru (Paterson 77) Luongo, Bannan, Johnson, Berahino (Shodipo 68), Gregory. Unused subs: Render, Dean, Palmer, Byers, Kamberi. Attendance: 9,005 (1,841 Wednesdayites).