Ecstatic Owls delirious as a rare Sheffield Wednesday away win takes them off the bottom

To say that the first half wasn’t a classic would be quite the understatement. For 45 minutes fans watched both teams scrap away, pass to their opponents, overhit balls and generally not be very good.

There were three times as many bookings as there were shots on target, and aside from a blocked shot that flew into the air and was punched away by Cameron Dawson there was pretty much nothing for either goalkeeper to do. Will Vaulks, continuing his good form, was the best player on the pitch in his destroyer role in the middle, but as soon as either side got into the final third there seemed to be a real lack of quality.

When the officials signalled just the one minute of stoppage time there was almost a sense of relief – maybe the two managers could get into their players a bit and force a little bit more out of them.

And they certainly did. Though the general lack of quality going forward didn’t improve too greatly, there was a different intensity to the game in the second half. Stoke were the aggressors, trying to force their way through the Wednesday backline, and they managed it on occasion – the visitors, though, managed to hold firm.

Despite being on the back foot, it was the visitors that went the closest first. A long throw from Vaulks found Bailey Cadamarteri, who slipped in George Byers – it was a tight angle, but he fired goalwards anyway, only to see is effort bounce back off the upright. It was a moment that sparked something in the game, and from there things started to open up.

Röhl was the first to blink, bringing on Anthony Musaba for Cadamarteri with just under an hour played, but moments later they almost found themselves a goal down – and would’ve been had it not been for a fine stop from Dawson, keeping out Bae Jun-Ho. It wouldn’t be his last.

The hosts were finding a bit of a groove, putting pressure on the Owls, but when Josh Laurent crumpled in a heap in the box there was obvious bemusement as David Coote pointed to the spot. Laurent had appeared to push a Wednesday player beforehand, and to say that the ‘foul’ from Akin Famewo was soft wouldn’t be unfair.

So it was up to Mr. Dawson - one of Wednesday’s ‘One of our own’ – to do the business. He’s no stranger to a penalty save, and with some of the stick he’s received in recent weeks it felt almost serendipitous that it was he who was being called upon to be the hero.

Ryan Mmaee stepped up, opting to go right, but ‘Daws’ read him like a book, diving correctly and keeping it out. Barry Bannan was on hand to clear the follow up, and as it crossed the line for a corner the team sprinted over to their goalkeeper. They knew how much that will have meant.

It had always felt that the first goal would decide the game, so the save was a big one. Röhl wasted no time, within minutes he’d made another change as Michael Ihiekwe came on for Famewo - the big defender’s experience no doubt being seen as a helpful addition to the field as the Owls chased a winner.

He was in the thick of things immediately, heading wide from a corner soon afterwards, and the scales seemed to have shifted. Michael Smith and Djeidi Gassama came on to try and turn the screw – they’d have a role to play.

Another flashpoint. Ihiekwe’s misskick set Jun-Ho free, but after pressure from Bannan, the former Rotherham United man was on to pull off a fantastic recovery challenge to keep the scores level. In the end six minutes were added on.

Five of those minutes had gone, one last Röhl of the dice as the ball found Smith – his flicked header made it to Gassama, and he set Musaba running. The Dutchman’s first touch was excellent as he burst past his man, and in a split second he was free, and one-on-one. He stretched his legs and stroked it past young Tommy Simkin to send the 2,500 travelling fans behind the goal into delirium.

Wednesday hadn’t won a game on the road in the league since Shrewsbury Town back in April. They’ve barely scored. So it was an anxious wait for the final whistle. Nails were bitten, cold hands were blown, and then the whistle was.

Results elsewhere meant they’re off the bottom, and after picking up seven-points in their last three games there’s a sense that some sort of comeback could indeed be on the cards. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to see the Wednesday win away.