Danny Röhl hails Sheffield Wednesday fight - picks out unlikely name for standout praise after Birmingham win

A double from January addition Ike Ugbo did the business for the Owls, who clawed themselves back to a five-point deficit on the safety places heading into the weekend's Championship action elsewhere. Wednesday claimed a clean sheet having conceded four in both of their previous matches. Where questions had been asked of Wednesday mentality, Röhl said he had no doubt of their ability to get themselves back in the survival picture.

"I had a clear picture of my team," he said. "I know what we can do, I know where we can have some problems sometimes, I know how strong the mentality is and how the belief is. All the other things, honestly, is talk around us. With my coaching team and my team, we have a clear thought of what we have to do.

"I told my players that always it is a process in how you take points. We are not top of the league, we will not beat everybody. For us it is a step-by-step, we take points, Today we took the points and we showed again that we can step back from setbacks. We have had some knocks. But the belief is strong and you can see the character of the team."

Wednesday rang the changes throughout the game and despite a Birmingham shots column showing 25 shots, had only a couple of storms to weather as they kept the visitors largely at arms length. The efforts of those coming off the bench, Röhl said, was typical of the scrap shown on a night that showed a renewed battle. The German spoke of the efforts of many players but picked out one of his second half substitutes for particular praise.

He said: "I see someone like Michael Smith today, he comes in and he did a great performance, exactly what we had to do in this situation. I know for some players it was not easy in the last weeks, but our strength is our team and it is so important."