Wednesday will face Peterborough in the League One play-off semi finals after today’s 1-0 win over Derby at Hillsborough.
The visitors only needed a point to secure their play-off place but Michael Smith’s first-half penalty secured the points for the Owls and, with Posh winning 2-0 at Barnsley, they took sixth spot ahead of the Rams.
It means we now travel to Peterborough for the semi-final first leg on Friday evening, May 12, with the second leg at Hillsborough on the following Thursday night, May 18.
In today’s match at S6, Derby almost took the lead on 13 minutes when David McGoldrick’s fierce drive brought a fine save out of Cameron Dawson.
Wednesday, already guaranteed third place, had hardly managed an effort on goal before the deciding moment of the game just before half time.
Curtis Davies was penalised for a challenge on Marvin Johnson inside the box and Smith hammered home the spot kick for his 20th goal of the season, Davies also receiving a red card for the foul.
Almost immediately, Liam Palmer was close to making it 2-0, bursting into the box but seeing his angled close-range shot blocked by a combination of ex-Owls keeper Joe Wildsmith and the post
And there was still time before the break for Derby to go close to an equaliser, McGoldrick seizing on hesitancy between Dawson and Jaden Brown but seeing his lobbed effort tipped over by the keeper.
Wednesday began the second half in more aggressive fashion and might have doubled our lead.
Will Vaulks hit the bar from the edge of the box, then saw his shot from the rebound blocked, before Barry Bannan went close with a long ranger.
Derby thought they had equalised but Aden Flint cleared Max Bird’s effort off the line before Callum Paterson missed a great chance, heading wide from a Josh Windass cross.
The ten-man Rams pressed forward in the final minutes in search of that vital goal to secure their play-off place but it was not be, leaving Wednesday to take on Peterborough in the two-legged semi final after amassing 96 points in the season.
Dawson, Palmer (Hunt (78), Iorfa, Flint, Brown, Johnson, Vaulks, Dele-Bashiru (Durrant 84), Bannan (Bakinson 78), Paterson, Smith (Windass 64). Unused subs: Stockdale, Glover, James. Att: 33,413.