Shake, rattle and Röhl - Sheffield Wednesday get huge survival boost with massive Plymouth Argyle win

It feels like an age since there’s been a Wednesday game that hasn’t been classed as ‘a bit of a big one’ beforehand, and this was no different. Plymouth’s form hasn’t been great, and with the Owls looking to claw back some ground on those above them there was a sense that there was an opportunity here.

Back on home turf once again Danny Röhl’s side were hoping to build on their impressive run of form, and with his former colleague, Hansi Flick – of Bayern Munich and Germany fame – watching from the stands, expectations were high.

Wednesday started brightly, and it was Ian Poveda who was causing a whole heap of problems for the visitors as he danced past his man on numerous occasions in search of that killer move. The dangerous Morgan Whittaker has the first real chance as he blazed over the bar from inside the box, but that was practically all the visitors offered in the opening stanza.

Unfortunately for the Owls there was a case of Groundhog Day in front of goal. Just like against Rotherham United they had the ball in the back of the net early on, and just like against Rotherham United they were left holding their heads after seeing the linesman hold his flag aloft.

Also just like at Rotherham United, there were question marks over whether it was the right call. Djeidi Gassama had picked out Pol Valentin with a sumptuous cross-field ball down the right, and the Spaniard squared it to Poveda in time for him to clip it goalwards. It looked like the Colombian international had been level, but the linesman – who was some way behind play – thought otherwise. Disallowed, and still 0-0.

The decision rocked the hosts for a little, and they lost a bit of the control they’d previously had for a short spell, but it didn’t take too long for them to regain composure and with Will Vaulks bossing the midfield the Owls tried to make headway in the opposition half. Out wide Marvin Johnson and Valentin kept up the charge, but it felt like an extra gear was needed if they were going to make their domination count.

On top of not getting on the scoresheet there was another concern for Wednesday just before the break as Barry Bannan went down holding his face following a collision in the middle of the park – and it turned out to be a knock that he couldn’t recover from in time. He was replaced by Momo Diaby at the break.

Röhl’s side didn’t let it set them back, though, and they kept up the pressure as they came out for the second half. A flurry of corners didn’t result in anything, and Poveda saw a strike saved by Conor Hazard, but they were in the ascendency.

And then it came. Poveda did brilliantly to ghost into the box before slipping, it looked like the chance was gone, but Iké Ugbo – on fire in front of goal – wasn’t having any of that. He hounded his man into giving away the ball, and then slipped in the sort of low cross that he’s been getting on the end of himself. This time, though, it was Gassama who was in the middle – but the end result was the same. Hazard got a touch, but not enough. 1-0, and the Kop erupted.

There are always concerns at 1-0, however, and Wednesday knew they’d need to keep turning the screw. Gassama almost grabbed a second moments later as he fizzed one just wide of the post, and Di’Shon Bernard headed over not long after Bailey Cadamarteri had come on for Ugbo in search of more goals.

Cadamarteri very nearly followed suit, too, as he burst down the right side after a bit of a scare in the Wednesday area, and pulled back a brilliant low cross to the on-rushing Johnson – however his left footed effort was too high and flew into the stand behind.

More substitutes followed as Bambo Diaby and Anthony Musaba were introduced in place of Dominic Iorfa and Ian Poveda. Both had performed well, Iorfa looking tidy on his return to the XI, but Röhl has spoken of the importance of his whole squad, and that was going to be tested once again.

It got scrappy as the end approached, Plymouth had some half chances and James Beadle did well to keep them at bay with some excellent takes in the air – alleviating the building pressure. Liam Palmer came on in place of Valentin after a great shift, and now it was a case of weathering the storm that was bound to come their way.

Michael Ihiekwe, seeking another clean sheet, put his body on the line to make a huge last-ditch block before added time began. They battled for everything, and ran down the six minutes additional with a string of defensive excellence and perseverance. The roar as the final whistle went was as much relief as it was joy. Three points, three big points.

The Owls now find themselves effectively joint-20th, a feat barely believable a few months back, and only two points off 16th. Wednesday's survival bid is alive and kicking. Shake, rattle and Röhl.