Physios, former Owls and a big, white beard: Heroes and villains in Sheffield Wednesday's win over Coventry

Tony Pulis’ first win as Sheffield Wednesday boss came at the tenth attempt, it wasn’t pretty, but it presents a launching pad for the Owls to spring from as they approach the halfway point of a horror season so far.

Let’s take a look at a handful of heroes and villains in their 1-0 win over Coventry City.

Keiren Westwood

An excellent return performance from the veteran stopper, who made a handful of excellent saves and marshalled his defence expertly.

Westwood thanked the club’s medical staff for getting him back to fitness promptly after a groin injury.

Clean sheets are a commodity Tony Pulis will want to deal more with as time goes on and everything the manager has said on his goalkeepers suggests Westwood will be the man chosen to be at the centre of those.

After a wobble at Preston in his initial comeback, it was an important display.

Tom Lees

See above. Alongside Chey Dunkley in particular, Lees was exceptional at the back and jostled with Westwood as the afternoon’s star man.

A goal, his first for almost exactly a year, was a just reward for what has been a solid season so far. It was his 150th appearance for the Owls, too.

Mark Robins

A wee dig at the state of the Hillsborough pitch may well have been justified – it has seen better days – but it was something the Coventry boss perhaps didn’t need to say.

Pitches up and down the country are struggling with the workload put on them.

And you know what? You wouldn’t bet against it being a more common occurance as Pulis attempts to push the odds further in Wednesday’s favour.

Father Christmas

The early Christmas present Sheffield Wednesday fans wanted but scarcely expected. The big man with the white beard stepped up and pushed three points under the tree.

Priceless, given the timing. The Owls are four points shy of the safety places – or a draw and a win, as Pulis put it – and will tuck into their turkey in the knowledge they are off the foot of the table.

There’s a long, long way to go in this season.

MORE FROM OUR WEDNESDAY WRITING TEAM

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