Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl was disappointed with his side’s failure to win after taking the lead as they had to settle for a 1-1 draw with Stoke.

Liam Palmer gave the home side a 68th-minute lead before substitute Luke Cundle equalised in the 76th minute.

Rohl said: “I think today is hard to take. We dominate the whole game with so many chances. I think after 10 minutes we have to lead two or three-nil.

“At the moment a draw is not helpful for us, so it’s hard to take today. But then next week we have to go again. I have to lift my players. The good thing is it’s just one point behind.

“It’s football. I think we showed a good performance but all in all it’s about results and even at home at the moment we have just three draws and in our situation it’s not enough to make the step. Now we can try in three more games, nine points to take and this will be what we will try.

“I don’t know what Stoke thought about the game. I think they know how strong we are at home, they know how we play. We were on the front foot, we created a lot of chances. And then they have the momentum and they use one more chance.

“But now we have two ways. We can be disappointed and take it to the next week, to the next game. Or we say, no, we do it again, we lift us and we try it again and this is what we have to do.

“I know today it’s hard to say, but this is what I will do.”

Stoke boss Steven Schumacher believes the point gained by his team could be vital.

He said: “We planned to come under the cosh. Obviously we didn’t want to be under as much pressure as we were, but credit to them. They started the game really well.

“The crowd was behind them, they had loads of crosses into the box, loads of corners and we’ve defended them really well. We’ve needed the goalkeeper. Daniel (Iversen) made a brilliant save, they hit the bar as well in that spell but we got through it and got stronger as the half went on.

“At half-time we spoke about just trying to close the distances a little bit better and try and get them under a bit more pressure, which I felt we did.

“And then we fell behind, we showed brilliant character again, changed the shape and got our fresh legs into the game when there was a bit more space and fully deserved to get something from the game. It could be a massive point.”

Struggling Sheffield Wednesday had to settle for a point after Stoke substitute Luke Cundle cancelled out Liam Palmer’s opener to earn a 1-1 draw.

The result dealt Wednesday a real blow in their bid to avoid the drop due to results elsewhere.

Marvin Johnson, Ike Ugbo and Will Vaulks were all restored to Wednesday’s starting line-up.

Stoke boss Steven Schumacher made six changes, recalling Tyrese Campbell, Mehdi Leris, Sead Haksabanovic, Ben Wilmot, Jordan Thompson and Lewis Baker.

The visitors were put under pressure from the start with Palmer the first to threaten, firing in a drive which was deflected off-target.

Ugbo then saw his effort kept out by Daniel Iversen, and Michael Ihiekwe’s header was cleared off the line by Campbell.

Michael Smith went close to breaking Stoke’s resistance when his shot struck the bar in the eighth minute.

As Wednesday continued to dominate, Pol Valentin fired over later in the half, with Stoke failing to pose a serious attacking threat during the first half.

The closest they came to a chance was in the final minute of the half when Baker’s free-kick led to a scramble in the penalty area before Wilmot put the ball wide.

The Stoke line-up showed a change at the start of the second period with Bae Jun-ho coming on in place of Haksabanovic.

The visitors were forced to make a further change just four minutes after the restart when Wouter Burger had to go off after receiving treatment, with Enda Stevens coming on in his place.

Wednesday keeper James Beadle was called into action for the first time to save Jun-ho’s long-range effort.

Beadle then made a comfortable save from Campbell’s deflected shot soon afterwards.

As Stoke looked to capitalise on their impressive start to the second half, Baker sent a free-kick a fraction wide of Beadle’s left-hand post.

The home side responded with Ihiekwe heading just wide from Vaulks’ delivery.

Midway through the second period, Wednesday manager Danny Rohl made an attacking change, with Callum Paterson taking over from Josh Windass.

The opening goal finally came in the 68th minute when Barry Bannan’s cross was headed back by Ihiekwe to Palmer, who found the net with an emphatic finish.

Cundle, who had only been on the field for a few minutes, equalised in the 76th minute. Campbell found Cundle in space on the left-hand side and he advanced into the area before slotting past Beadle.

Stoke skipper Josh Laurent then had a shot which hit the side-netting.

Jun-ho threatened late on with a goal-bound shot which struck team-mate Cundle.

Norwich boss David Wagner insisted his side were “not ruthless” enough as he saw them blow a two-goal first-half lead to draw 2-2 in the Championship with Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

Norwich hit the front in the 11th minute when Josh Sargent tapped in at the back post and doubled their lead five minutes later when they were gifted the ball outside the box which allowed Borja Sainz to stroke it into the bottom corner.

Danny Rohl made four substitutions at the break but his Owls side missed further chances before Michael Ihiekwe’s header gave Wednesday the belief before Michael Smith nodded home with five minutes to go to rescue a much-needed point in their relegation battle as they marked their 5,000th league match.

Wagner was frustrated with his side’s inability to kill the game after and put themselves in a commanding position to strengthen their play-off bid.

He told a press conference: “We have done everything super well, we looked sharp in ball possession and out of ball possession but we didn’t kill the game.

“We were not ruthless inside the opponent’s box, we had a lot of clear-cut chances and obviously this at the end of the day has shown why we have not won the game.

“Today we have put the hard work in to collect three points but haven’t done because we could not kill the game. Especially when a team is so direct with set-pieces something can happen.

“We have not made use of our chances, this is what frustrates us and the performance the players have shown on the pitch, the commitment is good.”

The point for Norwich gives them a five-point cushion inside the play-offs but Wagner thinks his side have dropped two points from a good performance.

He added: “I would have liked to have six points (from Ipswich and Sheff Wed) after you have seen the two performances.

“But in football, you don’t always get what you wish, you get what you earn and today we only got one because we weren’t ruthless.

“We have to be more ruthless, this is what hurts. How we played, how we defended was good.”

Wednesday remain in the relegation zone only on goal difference after the draw and Rohl hailed his side’s togetherness to fight back and claim a point.

He said: “We showed again our togetherness. Not many people thought we would come back and take something but we did.

“Second half we played better, the stadium was behind us and created energy and this showed what we need in our situation.

“Today we take the point and now we have to go again Saturday. If we are over the line on the last matchday everyone will take it.

“We keep coming back and today we came back from 2-0 down, today we showed we can do this against a strong Norwich side.

“I’m happy with the point. Not happy with the first half but one key point.”

Leicester missed the chance to go four points clear at the top of the Championship after a 1-0 loss at Millwall.

Ryan Longman’s brilliant top corner finish was the difference for the Lions, who climbed into 17th.

Leicester stayed one point clear at the summit after Leeds moved into second following a goalless draw against Sunderland.

Substitute Milutin Osmajic bagged a quickfire hat-trick as Preston completed an incredible second-half comeback to beat relegation-threatened Huddersfield 4-1.

Josh Koroma handed the Terriers the lead in the 42nd minute, but Preston equalised when Will Keane levelled from the penalty spot.

Osmajic starred from the bench in the final stages, striking twice in three minutes before completing his treble in the second minute of stoppage time to snatch three points and leave Town outside the bottom three on goal difference.

Sheffield Wednesday scored two late goals to salvage a crucial point in their relegation battle after a 2-2 draw against Norwich.

The visitors struck quickly in the opening stages with Josh Sargent putting the Canaries ahead in the 11th minute before Borja Sainz doubled the advantage five minutes later.

However, Wednesday turned the game around in the final 15 minutes with Michael Ihiekwe pulling one back before Michael Smith levelled in the 85th minute to leave them alongside Huddersfield.

Fourth-placed Southampton continued their play-off push with a 2-1 win against Coventry.

Haji Wright missed a penalty for the Sky Blues in the 10th minute and Southampton struck just eight minutes later through Kyle Walker-Peters.

Che Adams doubled the lead just before the break before Jake Bidwell pulled one back for Coventry, who remain just outside the play-off places.

Plymouth earned a valuable point after drawing 1-1 with QPR.

Sam Field put the visitors ahead from a corner, but Argyle are two points above the drop zone as Albert Adomah turned the ball into his own net.

Sheffield Wednesday battled back from two goals down to snatch a 2-2 draw with Norwich and strengthen their Sky Bet Championship survival bid.

Wednesday handed Norwich the initiative straight away and the visitors established a two-goal lead early on through Josh Sargent and Borja Sainz but the home side had James Beadle to thank for keeping the deficit at two heading into the break.

Wednesday looked more confident in the second period and Norwich were made to pay for their flurry of missed chances in the second half as two headers from Michael Ihiekwe and Michael Smith rescued an unlikely point.

Norwich were almost gifted the opening goal of the game when Marcelino Nunez latched onto to some sloppy possession at the back and took a shot but Beadle did well to parry the ball out to Ashley Barnes, who blasted wide on the rebound.

Wednesday had the warning a couple of moments ago but Norwich scored the first in the 10th minute as Sam McCallum’s throw-in was flicked on by Barnes and Sargent tapped in at the back post.

The Canaries were all over the hosts and almost doubled their lead straight away as Sainz ran through on goal and unleashed a low drive into the corner but Beadle was on hand to tip behind again.

Wednesday were making the same mistakes at the back and Norwich did not let them off the hook this time – as the home side tried to play out of the back, Nunez was gifted the ball and he fed through Sainz, who stroked home to make it 2-0.

Creators of their downfall yet again, Wednesday nearly handed Norwich a third as Sainz teed up Nunez, who sliced just wide of the post.

The Owls were lucky to be trailing by two at the break as McCallum sprung down the left and whipped a ball in, Nunez smashed over the crossbar to keep Wednesday alive, just.

The hosts made four substitutions at the break and started the second period with a little more life but the Canaries seemed keen for a third though, Jack Stacey raced beyond the back line who were expecting an offside flag that never went up, but Beadle denied Stacey to keep them in the contest.

Another couple of chances came and went for Norwich after Sainz was brought down outside the box, Nunez’s resulting free-kick was palmed away by Beadle and Gabriel Sara scuffed an effort wide a couple of moments later.

Wednesday’s best chance of the match came after Callum Paterson chased down a long ball and found himself one-on-one but could not guide his effort past Angus Gunn.

The visitors failed to put Wednesday away and they had their route back into the match after Ihiekwe nodded home from Will Vauks’ corner.

Wednesday piled on the pressure in search of an equaliser no one saw coming and they had one from yet another corner, this time Vaulks picked out Smith at the back post, who headed in to leave them in the relegation zone on goal difference.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl felt his “bold decision” to make major changes for the 2-0 win over fellow strugglers QPR paid off.

Goals from Djeidi Gassama and Anthony Musaba gave the second-from-bottom Owls a vital victory at Loftus Road in their battle against relegation from the Sky Bet Championship.

Rohl made five changes to his side in the wake of Monday’s defeat at Middlesbrough.

He said: “We changed a lot. For me it was clear after the Middlesbrough game that we could not just continue and hope something changes.

“I think some people will be surprised to see all these changes. It was a bold decision from my side. I cannot just continue and hope. I want to see a reaction and I saw a reaction.”

Wednesday failed to win any of their first 13 league matches of the season but their improvement since Rohl took over in October has given them a fighting chance of staying up.

The German said: “We played very well and did well as a team. I’m very happy. There are five games to go and we have a chance.

“Everybody was ready for this fight and that is our job. Do it – and do it until the end.

“My job and the players’ job is that we have a big party at the end of the season. Keep going and we have a big party at the end.

“It is our job and this is what I demand. With the right mindset and attitude we can do it.”

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes blamed himself for his side’s defeat.

He said: “I’m very disappointed but especially with myself. When I look at the performance, I didn’t prepare the team well enough for the kind of game that I knew it would be.

“We were not good at all. It was a bad performance. I’m disappointed not only about the result but about the game and the (lack of) quality we showed. It’s a very disappointing day.

“I take responsibility for this defeat. One result will not change my confidence in the players.”

But Cifuentes also suggested Rangers had perhaps been guilty of some complacency after recent back-to-back wins took them six points clear of the relegation zone and seemingly close to safety.

The loss leaves them just four points clear of the bottom three and very much still in trouble.

Cifuentes added: “That’s always the danger – not only in football but as human beings. Sometimes we tend to relax and those moments are very dangerous.

“When you think you are doing so well, suddenly football always gives you the reality that if you are not at 110% it’s very difficult.

“We tried during the whole week to let them understand this was a very difficult game – probably the most difficult game of the season.

“It looked like Sheffield Wednesday were playing for their lives and unfortunately I was not good enough to convince my players we needed that kind of intensity.”

Goals from Djeidi Gassama and Anthony Musaba handed Sheffield Wednesday a vital 2-0 victory at fellow strugglers QPR to boost their chances of staying in the Sky Bet Championship.

The win leaves second-from-bottom Wednesday just a point from Huddersfield in 21st.

QPR’s own relegation fears were eased by recent back-to-back wins but this result leaves them just four points ahead of Wednesday – a victory would have put them 10 clear of the Yorkshire side.

Wednesday would have gone ahead in the first half had Josh Windass not missed a sitter. The forward contrived to nudge the ball past the far post from a yard out after being set up by Ian Poveda.

The Owls suffered another setback when the lively Poveda, who had been causing Rangers problems, was taken off just before the half-hour mark after picking up what looked like a hamstring injury.

But Gassama, his replacement, was also a thorn in QPR’s side and scored the opening goal on 59 minutes.

Gassama weaved his way into the box, going past Sam Field with ease, and then had a touch of good fortune when Isaac Hayden’s attempted clearance cannoned off the Frenchman and into the net.

Lucas Andersen almost equalised when his fierce strike hit the bar but otherwise Rangers struggled to create clear-cut chances.

That prompted boss Marti Cifuentes to make a triple substitution, sending on Morgan Fox along with forwards Lyndon Dykes and Paul Smyth.

QPR still struggled to create opportunities but one did fall to Jimmy Dunne, who headed over from Chris Willock’s cross.

Dunne headed over again late on, this time at the far post from a cross by Ilias Chair, but Wednesday were generally comfortable and scored again in the final seconds to seal their win.

Gassama was again involved, this time darting down the left and finding Musaba, who blasted past goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

Cifuentes and his Wednesday counterpart Danny Rohl have radically improved results since taking over this season at clubs heading towards relegation.

But the defeat leaves Rangers still looking anxiously over their shoulders and Wednesday very much in with a fighting chance of staying up.

Senior Reggae Boyz Head coach Heimir Hallgrimsson is now left to rethink strategy as young Sheffield Wednesday striker Bailey Cadamarteri has opted to represent England Under-19s instead of taking up his spot in Jamaica's team for their Concacaf Nations League semi-final clash with United States on Thursday. 

After naming Cadamarteri in his 23-man squad, Hallgrimsson praised the attributes of the rising star, who he believed could add value to the senior Reggae Boyz setup. However, shortly after Hallgrimsson's announcement, England released its youth squad which also included Cadamarteri.

Despite having his Jamaican passport, the 18-year-old Cadamarteri placed the senior Reggae Boyz option on hold for the time being and will be hoping to get his first runout in England colours this week when the Under-19s play Morocco and the United States in North Africa.

This means Hallgrimsson, will not only have to wait to get the six-foot tall player in Jamaica's colours, but will also have to call up a replacement of equal or better quality.

“Firstly, he's like Kaheim Dixon (another young Jamaican attacker). He has got goals written all over him...in his youth career, he’s scored a lot of goals. But for me, as a striker what catches my eye is that he’s really hard working, he’s got constant running in behind defences, and he’s a good link up player," Hallgrimsson said of Cadamarteri in a recent press conference. 

“He’s clever using spaces and his technique is really good, so I think he has all the attributes that a good striker should have - but he’s still young, like Kaheim Dixon," he added.

Cadamarteri is believed to be very open to the idea of playing for Jamaica in the future, something that won’t be affected by turning out for the Three Lions at youth level.

Cadamarteri, who earns his Jamaican stripes through father Danny, a former Everton stalwart in the 1990s and early 2000s, also qualifies to represent Italy through heritage.

By virtue of the FIFA ruling regarding youth caps, Cadamarteri still has the option to switch his senior international allegiance from England.

Hallgrimsson is expected to address the issue during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna said his side’s performance was “outstanding” from the first minute to last in their 6-0 mauling of Sheffield Wednesday.

Omari Hutchinson and substitute Ali Al-Hamadi both struck twice while Nathan Broadhead and Cameron Burgess were also on the scoresheet as the Tractor Boys recorded their biggest win of the season.

The victory also saw Ipswich climb back into second place in the Championship, two points ahead of Leeds who host Millwall on Sunday.

McKenna said: “I thought it was an outstanding performance from pretty well first minute to last minute in all phases of the game. We showed our identity, our style, our culture, the group.”

“It was probably the relentless of it. I think some of the football was outstanding, our pressing against a well set-up team but probably the way we kept going because at 3-0 sometimes the second half can be flat and the game can fizzle out, but we came into today with a real determination to deliver a performance first and foremost, not to think about the scoreline, the points or anything like that.

“I think the mentality to keep going in the way that we did was really very, very good.”

Hutchinson, who McKenna said was “excellent”, opened the floodgates in the 15th minute and strikes from Burgess and Broadhead saw Ipswich firmly in control at half-time.

Hutchinson added a subline fourth soon after the restart before Al-Hamadi netted two late goals to wrap up an emphatic win.

For Wednesday, a second successive defeat – having previously clamed five wins in six – leaves them still deep in trouble near the foot of the table, but it might have been a different story had they made the most of early chances for Anthony Musaba and Djeidi Gassama.

Owls manager Danny Rohl, whose side are two points from safety, wants the defeat against a team that was “on fire” to be a lesson for the Yorkshire outfit

He said: “A big defeat and a bit disappointed.

“When I come to such a place I never go and say I’m scared of any opponent, I always want to try something.

“I think today (showed) why we are in our position and Ipswich are where they are.

“The whole picture from Ipswich today, the facilities, the pitch, the team, I think they chose a big, big direction where Ipswich want to go.

“I think this is good to see and I look at the development of this team here and of this manager who I have a big, big respect for, it’s outstanding.

“For us it’s about learning from this game.

“We come here and it was the reason why I played maybe our best four offensive players in front instead of a back five because I want to be brave, I want to create good, good ball-winning situations, to have good transition moments.

“But I think they (Ipswich) were on fire and really deserved the whole picture today.”

Ipswich swept back into second place in the Sky Bet Championship with an emphatic 6-0 win over relegation-threatened Sheffield Wednesday.

A brace apiece by Omari Hutchinson and Ali Al-Hamadi helped Town leapfrogged above Leeds ahead of the Yorkshire side’s home match with Millwall on Sunday.

Three first-half goals put Ipswich in complete control at Portman Road with Cameron Burgess and Nathan Broadhead adding to Hutchinson’s 15th-minute opener.

Hutchinson added a sublime fourth goal soon after half-time before substitute Al-Hamadi struck twice late on as the Tractor Boys recorded their biggest win of the season.

The Owls, meanwhile, remain down in 23rd spot and two points adrift of safety after seeing their recent revival dented by successive defeats.

Wednesday had won five of six matches prior to their loss at Leeds last time out and they showed promising signs early on at Ipswich as they created several chances.

However, Anthony Musaba could not make the most of his opportunities while Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky was called upon to turn Djeidi Gassama’s shot round the post, and it was the home who drew first blood.

Wes Burns picked out Hutchinson near to the penalty spot and his fine low shot beat Beadle.

Gassami almost bought the scores level when his snap-shot from just outside the penalty area had Hladky diving across his goal line to push the ball round the post.

Burns limped off with what appeared to be a calf injury in the 36th minute, but the Tractor Boys extended their lead a minute later following a goalmouth scramble from a Leif Davis corner.

Kieffer Moore initially headed the ball onto the crossbar but Australia international Burgess was on hand to hammer home and make it 2-0.

The points were all-but sewn up in first-half stoppage time when Broadhead put the hosts further ahead after meeting substitute Kayden Jackson’s cross inside the six-yard box.

Ipswich picked up where they left off after the break and Hutchinson fired just over before getting his second of the match in the 48th minute after receiving the ball from Broadhead and slamming a shot past Beadle.

The Wednesday keeper had to claw away a long-range effort from Massimo Luongo soon after but he was beaten again in the 80th minute when Al-Hamadi made it 5-0 after Beadle had parried Jeremy Sarmiento’s shot into his path

Hutchinson’s inch-perfect cross in the 90th minute was then converted by Al-Hamadi to wrap up a comprehensive win for promotion-chasing Town.

Leeds climbed back into the automatic promotion places after winning 2-0 at Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

Patrick Bamford struck in first-half stoppage time and Willy Gnonto added a second after the break as Leeds extended their unbeaten league run in 2024 to 12 matches.

Daniel Farke’s side are two points behind Sky Bet Championship leaders Leicester after leap-frogging Ipswich, with their promotion rivals, including Southampton, due to play on Saturday.

Wednesday missed the chance to climb out of the bottom three for the first time since August, having won five of their previous six league matches, and their four-game winning run was halted.

The Owls were eight points adrift of safety after losing 4-0 at Huddersfield at the start of February, while the gap had been 12 points in November.

Owls fans will have observed a looming fixture against another local rival in Leeds with a sense of foreboding, but after Tuesday’s home win against Plymouth, this derby clash could not come soon enough.

Leeds looked to subdue a partisan home crowd by hogging the early possession, but Wednesday were first to carve out the first scoring chance.

Anthony Musaba pounced on a loose ball in the area following a corner and the Leeds goalkeeper brilliantly saved with his legs.

Leeds’ best effort before the goal fell to Georginio Rutter, whose lob having beaten the offside trap was saved by on-rushing Wednesday goalkeeper James Beadle.

Rutter then headed Crysencio Summerville’s corner narrowly over as Leeds pressed for the opening goal and their patient probing paid off in the fifth minute of added time at the end of the first half.

Junior Firpo whipped in a superb low ball across the face of goal from the left and Bamford finished at the far post for his seventh league goal of the season.

Leeds went straight on the offensive at the start of the second period as Rutter’s low shot forced Beadle into a low save and they doubled their lead in the 58th minute.

Rutter threaded a pass through for Gnonto after Bamford’s deft flick and the assistant referee’s flag stayed down as the Italy forward ran on to shoot beyond Beadle from just inside the box.

Leeds sliced through the home side’s defence again soon after, with Summerville thwarted by Beadle’s superb save, but the visitors were then indebted to skipper Ethan Ampadu.

The Wales defender cleared Owls substitute Michael Smith’s effort off the goal-line and blocked Djeidi Gassama’s shot as the Owls threatened for the first time in the second half.

Wednesday defender Marvin Johnson’s 20-yard effort flew narrowly over and at the other end Leeds substitute Connor Roberts’ low shot was inches wide as the visitors secured their first win at Hillsborough since 2016.

Sheffield Wednesday head coach Danny Rohl will celebrate his side’s 1-0 home win against Plymouth by de-briefing with former boss Hansi Flick.

Former Germany boss Flick was at Hillsborough to see Djeidi Gassama score a second-half winner to give Rohl’s relegation battlers real momentum.

Rohl, who worked as Flick’s assistant at Bayern Munich as well as with the Germany national team, has guided the Owls to five wins in their last six Sky Bet Championship matches and to within sight of safety.

“Yesterday we had dinner together,” Rohl said. “It was nice to see him again after five months and we spoke just now and he will come in my room.

“It’s good to have him here. When you have been assistant coach to him it’s good to show him you can do it. It’s fantastic. He’s a good guy.

“You can speak about the football side and speak about the private side and this is helpful.”

Wednesday remain in the bottom three, but having been there since the second game of the season only goal difference now separates them from the two sides immediately above the drop zone – Huddersfield and QPR.

Rohl said: “In the last few weeks we’ve invested a lot of things to come to this point now. We come closer. We’ve closed the gap and it’s an unbelievable race at the bottom of the table, maybe eight or nine teams around us.”

Next up for Wednesday is the visit to Hillsborough of Yorkshire rivals Leeds on Friday and Rohl is relishing the prospect of giving Owls fans more to cheer.

Rohl added: “This is the outcome from the last few weeks and I hope we can recover for a big game on Friday. I hope we are sold out and everybody comes to push us forward.

“We have to really enjoy it. It is my wish on Friday we have a great atmosphere and this power from the stands to the pitch and from the pitch to the stands. It could be massive on Friday.”

Plymouth remain in 16th place, but sit just two points above the Owls after slipping to their fifth defeat in seven league games.

Ian Foster’s side rallied after going behind to Gassama’s 60th-minute strike, but failed to create any clear-cut chances.

Foster said: “Our reaction is one of bitter disappointment. We didn’t feel it was a game we ought to have lost.

“It’s really unfortunate the manner of the goal – Adam (Randell) has made an honest mistake, he should have cleared his lines and unfortunately for Adam he slipped over and they’ve scored on the transition.

“It’s bitterly disappointing for us. Second half I thought the team were perfect in terms of their approach, I thought we bossed the second half and I can’t believe that we’ve come away having lost the game.”

Sheffield Wednesday’s survival bid gathered further momentum as Djeidi Gassama’s second-half strike clinched a 1-0 home win over Plymouth.

Gassama steered home the only goal in the 60th minute to secure the Owls a fifth win in their last six league matches and they remain in the bottom three only on goal difference.

Danny Rohl’s in-form side launched a concerted effort to rescue their season last month and they climbed to within two points of Plymouth, who stay 16th despite slipping to a fifth defeat in their last seven.

Morgan Whittaker rifled an early chance for Plymouth over the crossbar, but Wednesday were soon into their stride and Conor Hazard knew little about Ike Ugbo’s close-range effort, which the visiting goalkeeper saved with his chest.

The Owls thought they had taken a 20th-minute lead, but on-loan Leeds winger Ian Poveda was ruled offside when he turned home Pol Valentin’s cross at the end of a free-flowing move.

Mickel Miller’s angled shot forced Owls goalkeeper James Beadle into his first save, but the home side went on to dominate the first half, albeit without a cutting edge.

Valentin, twice, and Poveda both had shots blocked as confident Wednesday played with purpose and cohesion, but the breakthrough goal their play deserved eluded them.

Barry Bannan’s withdrawal during the interval was a major blow. The little playmaker took a bang to the head at the end of the first period and was replaced by Momo Diaby.

But Wednesday remained on the front foot and took a deserved lead in the 60th minute.

Ugbo wriggled to the by-line and cut the ball back for Gassama, whose first time shot found the bottom corner despite Hazard getting his palm to it.

Whittaker’s 20-yard drive was comfortably saved by Beadle and at the other end Gassama lashed another fierce effort wide before Plymouth roused themselves and pushed for an equaliser.

Jordan Houghton and Whittaker both had shots from inside the area blocked during a frantic scramble.

Argyle substitute Mustapha Bundu fired wide from inside the area and two more efforts struck defenders in a crowded box as the Owls dug deep and held on for a deserved three points.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl feels his team’s hunger is powering their form and it helped them to beat relegation rivals Rotherham 1-0.

Ike Ugbo netted his sixth goal in five matches to hand Wednesday a valuable win in their relegation battle, taking them three points from safety and leaving Rotherham 19 points adrift at the bottom.

The Owls have now won three games on the bounce and continue to pile the pressure on the teams above them.

Rohl said: “It was a big one. I am very proud of my team at the moment. It is outstanding what they are doing.

“Everybody knows Rotherham are always difficult with the second balls and set-plays.

“At half-time I said it was great what we were doing. But we had to score with the next chance.

“It was a big impact from our subs. A draw was not enough. I had to change the shape and we scored immediately. Then it was about bringing the game home.

“Our defending at the moment is great to see. We are finding a balance between playing nice football and making the right steps.

“Rotherham did not really have a big chance. It was always about us. At the moment we are bringing the games home.

“The performances from my team are outstanding. The mentality we have – everybody is hungry and I am very proud of what we are doing.

“We are the hunter at the moment and we have the momentum.”

Rotherham weathered a storm throughout the first half with Wednesday coming close a number of times.

The visitors thought they had struck when Akin Famewo headed in Will Vaulks’ free-kick but it was ruled out for offside.

Wingers Ian Poveda and Anthony Musaba posed most of the danger themselves and both came close after cutting in off their flanks.

Rotherham threatened properly for the first time early in the second period when Sam Nombe’s effort glided just over the bar.

Wednesday built patiently for their opener and got it in the 66th minute with a flowing team move.

Barry Bannan and Ugbo were both involved before Dominic Iorfa picked out the in-form striker to stroke home.

Bannan was then pivotal at the other end as he got a desperate block on Andy Rinomhota’s effort to prevent a leveller.

It was actually Wednesday looking more likely in stoppage time and substitute Mallik Wilks’ header rattled off the post from Marvin Johnson’s cross.

Rotherham head coach Leam Richardson said: “It was frustrating and I am gutted for the fans really. In a derby you want to give a strong positive result for them.

“The lads got emotionally attached to the game a little bit.

“The second half was evenly balanced but the goal is horrendous from our point of view. They’re all avoidable but it takes the same pattern at the minute where we are competitive to a level but then we are looking for that quality and momentum to go our way.

“We are very fix and mend at the minute with players playing out of position. There is disparity in the squad. We are limited in a lot of areas and we have six players on the bench.

“Whatever we lack in certain areas it’s not a will to win. Our levels seem to drop after 60-70 minutes.”

Sheffield Wednesday secured a valuable 1-0 win in their bid to beat the drop in the Championship by seeing off neighbours Rotherham.

Ike Ugbo’s sixth goal in five games proved to be the difference between the two sides, leaving the Owls three points from safety.

Defeat casts Rotherham a whopping 19 points adrift of safety at the bottom.

Wednesday had more than enough chances to put the game to bed in a dominant first half but did not take the lead until past the hour mark and then had to defend sternly to keep hold of the three points.

Viktor Johansson had an early save to make after Ian Poveda had skipped by Shane Ferguson and rolled the ball into Liam Palmer whose effort was palmed out.

It took a tremendous block from Cameron Humphreys to deny Ugbo the opener after Anthony Musaba had cut in from the left flank menacingly.

Will Vaulks then almost caught out Johansson with a free-kick he shaped to cross before shooting low. The Sweden international was able to just get across to tip it wide.

Wednesday thought they had gone in front but Akin Famewo’s header from Vaulks’ free-kick was ruled out for offside.

Poveda then cut in from the right wing and flashed a powerful effort just wide of the far post.

Wednesday continued to be on top in the run-up to the break and Musaba’s effort was deflected onto the roof of the net after he had been slipped in by Poveda.

Rotherham started the second half brighter and had Wednesday keeper James Beadle worried for the first time when Sam Nombe took aim from distance and saw his effort go just over the bar.

Wednesday finally took the lead in the 66th minute with a well-worked move.

Barry Bannan and Ugbo were involved with neat passes in the box and the latter was then on hand to stroke home from Dominic Iorfa’s cross.

A dangerous free-kick saw Rotherham threaten with Jordan Hugill getting a touch onto fellow substitute Cafu’s powerful effort to divert the ball just off target.

Wednesday then had talisman Bannan to thank for preserving their lead as he somehow outstretched a leg to deny Andy Rinomhota’s goal-bound effort.

Marvin Johnson lashed at a big chance to double the advantage in the closing stages and his shot was well off target.

Mallik Wilks could have also put the game to bed in stoppage time but his diving header from Johnson’s cross cannoned off the post.