Ten-man Wednesday took the points after a battling second-half display saw us to a 2-0 win over Stoke City at a windswept Hillsborough today.
The victory takes us on to 32 points in the Championship, just three points from the play-offs, and was a great way for the majority of the 26,700 crowd to celebrate yesterday’s announcement that Danny Rohl is staying with the club.
There were few moments of note in the first half and little hint of the drama to come before we found ourselves reduced to 10 men four minutes before half time when Di’Shon Bernard received a second yellow card.
Bernard was booked on 31 minutes after losing control of the ball and bringing down Tom Cannon as he threatened to break clear some 40 yards from goal. Worse followed 10 minutes later when Bernard was dispossessed and his retrieving tackle brought down Lewis Koumas, ending in his dismissal.
It meant facing the second half with only 10 men but the team rose to the occasion with two second-half goals and the goalkeeping heroics of James Beadle.
We got just the lift we needed seven minutes into the second half when Barry Bannan found Yan Valery down the right and his low cross was forced home at close range by Josh Windass.
Beadle then produced a tremendous double save, denying Cannon’s header at point-blank range and pushing away the loose ball while on the ground.
There was a further scare for Wednesday when Bannan handled in the box but referee Sam Allison waved play on and with 14 minutes left we doubled our lead.
Shea Charles was the architect, winning a tackle on the right and driving to the byline before pulling the ball back for substitute Callum Paterson to slot home from six yards.
The drama continued on 82 minutes when Max Lowe was adjudged to have fouled Sam Gallagher in the box but Beadle produced an exceptional diving stop to keep out Cannon’s spot kick and so make sure of the hard-earned win – and clean sheet – for the Owls.
Wednesday: Beadle, Valery, Iorfa, Bernard (red card 40), Lowe, Johnson, Charles (McNeill 90), Bannan (Ugbo 89), Gassama (Chalobah 70), Windass (Paterson 70), Smith (Otegbayo 46). Unused subs: P. Charles, J. Lowe, Musaba. Attendance: 26,743.