Danny Rohl has called for a 100 per cent performance from his Wednesday squad when we take on Birmingham at Hillsborough in another crucial ‘survival bid’ game on Friday night.
One point from our last four Championship matches has seen Wednesday fall eight adrift of the current safety mark, after clawing the gap back to three points in December, and culminating in last Saturday’s 4-0 drubbing at relegation rivals Huddersfield.
Talking about the Birmingham test, which is live on Sky Sports, Rohl said: “We need a good performance but not just a good performance, we need a result.
“We need everyone behind us to create a positive energy. It is either this or you go another way.
“I can understand people are disappointed, we have dropped down again, I understand this, results in the last weeks were not what we want.
“But what we have to think is there are 48 points to compete for and this is the challenge. We have come back from 13 points to three in 10 games and this is what we must do now.
“We have to make up eight points, we can do it but we need results and we have to do our basics right. We have to defend well, we have to come through difficult moments in games but we need 100 per cent from everybody.”
In his column in tomorrow night’s match programme, skipper Barry Bannan says: “We need to stick together and when we do that, we can create an atmosphere and good feeling here.
“Friday is massive – all the games are huge now. We are the first ones to play this weekend, it’s live on Sky and I’m looking forward to it.
“There is no time for excuses, it’s about rolling your sleeves up and getting back out there.”
Team-wise, James Beadle will seemingly return in goal after being cup-tied in midweek at Coventry and fellow loanee Ian Poveda could get a first starting place up front after joining from Leeds on transfer deadline day.
Manager Rohl, who made wholesale changes for the Coventry cup tie, will no doubt also recall rested first team regulars, including Bannan.
We wait to see if Marvin Johnson is fit to return but Josh Windass is likely to be out for a few weeks with his muscle injury.