Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday must play the "perfect" game when they take on miserly Championship high-flyers Burnley on Friday, says boss Danny Rohl.

The Owls are ninth in the table, three points off the play-off places following a last-gasp defeat against Coventry in their previous game.

Burnley are third and in contention for automatic promotion, having conceded just nine goals in 33 league games this season.

Rohl said his side must "get the basics right" as they have the quality up front to hurt any team in the division.

"We will play with our intensity and create a lot of chances," the 35-year-old German told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"We have some weapons and are always dangerous up front. We can create something.

"But of course you need a perfect game away against Burnley to take something there.

"They are organised and know what they have to do. It is not special, special but they have good structure against the ball, high intensity and make good recovery runs.

"They work as a unit, as a team and are hard to break. They put a lot of pressure on the ball and have done a lot of good things so far."

Image source, Rex Features

Josh Windass believes Sheffield Wednesday can succeed where others have failed in breaking down the doors of Burnley's Turf Moor fortress.

The Clarets have a well-publicised defensive record having not conceded in the league home or away since 21 December against Watford.

It is a run that has seen Scott Parker's men rack up 1,000 minutes without conceding and made them the meanest defence in Europe.

But Wednesday striker Windass believes all records must fall eventually and he reasoned that the Owls may have the firepower to break through when they visit Turf Moor on Friday night.

"I have full belief in this squad that we can go to what is a difficult venue and win," said Windass, who has scored 10 goals this season.

"We have to find areas to make passes and create openings, it's not just Burnley's defensive record, they don't let teams have a lot of shots so we have to find a way around that.

"It's an unbelievable record, I don't remember seeing anything like it and it's testament to their manager, the defenders and the goalkeeper.

"But we are a team that scores goals so if there's anyone that can break that run, it's us."

Burnley will look to keep their automatic promotion hopes alive when they welcome Sheffield Wednesday to Turf Moor on Friday night (20:00 GMT).

The Clarets are five points off the top two but could gain ground with Leeds United and Sheffield United playing each other on Monday evening.

The Owls, who have play-off ambitions of their own, are three points off the top six in ninth.

• Burnley are unbeaten across their past seven league games against Sheffield Wednesday (W4 D3), scoring at least one goal in each of those matches.

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost just one of their past nine away league games against Burnley (D4 L4), though that sole defeat did come on their last visit to Turf Moor in September 2015 (3-1).

• Burnley are unbeaten across their past 20 league games (W11 D9), the Clarets' longest run since a 22-match run between November 2022 and April 2023.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won seven of their past 12 away Championship matches (D1 L4). Since the start of October, only city rivals Sheffield United (8) have won more away games in the division than the Owls' seven.

• Burnley have kept 11 consecutive clean sheets in the Championship. In the entire history of the Football League since 1888, only one side has had a longer run in the top four tiers, with Manchester United keeping 14 in a row during the 2008-09 campaign.

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield reporter

Image source, Rex Features

Coventry's winning goal on Saturday was a huge error by goalkeeper James Beadle. However, I disagree with the online chatter that he should be dropped or that the Owls were wrong for re-loaning and starting him ahead of talented 19-year-old Pierce Charles.

Firstly on Charles, he is very highly-rated behind the scenes at Hillsborough.

I remember going on Wednesday's summer training camp in 2023 with several players commenting he was destined for big things. Some suggested he'd make an excellent outfield player, let alone a keeper.

He has impressed at international level for Northern Ireland, winning four caps before he even turns 20. His range of passing is impressive, with one particular delivery that set up a goal against Grimsby in the League Cup sticking in the memory.

However, this is no time for a rookie. He has yet to make a league start.

As we saw in the FA Cup against Coventry recently, Charles still has plenty to work on. The Sky Blues consistently tested his ability to deal with set pieces delivered into his range and he didn't look comfortable or commanding. He's 19 and learning.

Beadle might be young (he's only one year older than Charles) but he's far more experienced. He's approaching 100 league starts. He's been Wednesday's number one for over a year.

It's easy to focus on the error against Coventry but how many times has Beadle pulled off a brilliant save to secure a point or three for the Owls?

He's performed well enough, at least, to be given the opportunity to spend time training with England's senior team when he's been on Under-21 duty.

You aren't hampering Charles by not thrusting him into the thick of a play-off push at 19, or by putting immense pressure on him as a more-or-less unchallenged starter at the beginning of the campaign.

It's not a waste of money on a loan fee to have a quality keeper like Beadle, with league experience, as your number one.

Wednesday aren't just developing Beadle for Brighton. They're getting a top performer who, like most keepers, isn't flawless and makes the occasional gaffe. Danny Rohl clearly believes it was pivotal to have him back as first choice.

Any successful Championship campaign typically includes one or two smart young loan signings from the Premier League. In Beadle and Shea Charles, Wednesday have nailed it in a way they have failed to do in previous seasons.

You cannot just take the loan-fee money and use it on permanent deals for younger players, as some have suggested. That's not easy. It's a competitive market. Those players will need to be developed with no guarantee of immediate or long-term success.

In the meantime, do the Owls struggle in the second tier? Or do they want to kick on, as they have done this season?

Charles would've been better off having his own loan spell before being put in as the starter. He might not get that opportunity now.

Yet there's no reason to second guess bringing back Beadle after the Coventry error, or question the return of a loan player who has had a good season for the Owls.

Image source, Rex Features

Danny Rohl bemoaned his side's failure to convert an entertaining display into three Championship points against Coventry City.

Rohl's Sheffield Wednesday had the better of the game at Hillsborough but were undone by two sucker-punch goals from Sky Blues striker Ellis Simms.

Owls boss Rohl told BBC Radio Sheffield: "It's hard to take. We dropped a minimum two points when I look to the whole game today.

"Even with a point you could be disappointed because we were on the front foot, created a lot of chances, entertained.

"But we know its not just about entertainment, it's about winning games, getting results and this is really hard to take because my players invested so much today.

"All the data - we were on the front foot, ball possession, chances, set-pieces, all the things. Sometimes football is horrible and today we got a small setback.

"We can speak about the 2-1 [goal] but also the 1-0. A topic this week and especially after Swansea I showed my players a lot of situations.

"It's about pressure on the ball, block the cross, man marking in the box. This is again and again the same topics.

"We were not shocked after the 1-0. We carried on like nothing happened.

"We created chances, everybody on the pitch tried everything but at the end we can say we played good football but the points went to Coventry. This is hard."

Hillsborough hosts a game with big play-off implications as Sheffield Wednesday welcome Coventry on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Owls lie 8th, two points outside the top six, but with the Sky Blues just one point, and two places behind them.

• After beating Coventry City 2-1 in October, Sheffield Wednesday are looking to win successive league games against the Sky Blues for the first time since October 2005.

• Coventry have won on two of their past four league trips to Sheffield Wednesday (L2), and could record successive wins for the first time since September 1988.

• Sheffield Wednesday are unbeaten in their past five home league games (W2 D3); they last enjoyed a longer unbeaten run at Hillsborough in the second tier in December 2019 (8 games).

• Coventry could win three successive away league games for the first time since January 2024, while they last recorded three consecutive league clean sheets on the road in March 2023.

• Coventry's Ellis Simms has been involved in three goals in his last two away league games (2 goals, 1 assist) and could score in three successive away Championship games for the first time.

Rob Staton
BBC Radio Sheffield sports editor

Image source, Rex Features

No Barry Bannan. No Di'Shon Bernard. No problem for Sheffield Wednesday.

The Owls got the job done against Swansea, arguably the most frustrating team to watch in the Championship with their draining possession-for-the-sake of it style of play. Another away win in a season of excellent road victories.

Wednesday are two points off the play-offs and are in the hunt. They have a chance. Think about that for a second. From relegation near-certainties to dreaming of the Premier League in 16 months. Has a football league manager done more to elevate his team than Danny Rohl this season?

So many players have reached their best form under the German boss.

Look at the progress of Djeidi Gassama, now one of the most electric young players outside of the top-flight. Max Lowe has been a revelation after crossing the city from Bramall Lane. Michael Smith is having the best goalscoring season he's had in the Championship. Josh Windass is also having an excellent campaign, his best for the Owls. You could mention several others, too.

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, if they have a chance of the play-offs in the final few games this will be an achievement even bigger than last year's great escape.

Nobody will want to mention the elephant in the room but this is the reality I'm afraid - Rohl is already an in-demand manager.

Southampton and Hamburg were known to be interested and there were other admirers who were not made public. That will be the case again this summer, without a doubt.

The manager is under contract but keeping him might be a task and a half. His impact at Hillsborough, given what he inherited, is unmatched since Wednesday were relegated from the top-flight 25 years ago. Rohl is destined for the top. What happens if he departs?

It's not a concern for today but it's an inconvenient question that shouldn't be dodged.

Image source, Rex Features

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl was impressed with his side's disciplined display as they came away from Swansea City with three vital points.

"I think the win was fully deserved, especially second half we had a lot of good pressing moments," he said.

"We were very compact, good pressing and in the right moment we scored.

"The game management, we learned from the West Brom game, especially the last four or five minutes.

"When a home team has just four shots, I think it shows a lot about how we pressed as a group. This is how we have to play – a clean sheet always gives us the opportunity to win games."

Wednesday are eighth in the Championship, only two points outside the play-off places, ahead of Saturday's home game against Coventry City.

Sheffield Wednesday travel to Swansea City on Wednesday (19:45 GMT) as they continue to hunt for play-off spot.

The Owls currently sit outside the top 10 but are only three points shy of sixth placed Blackburn Rovers.

Though the Swans ended a six match winless run with their victory over Bristol City on the weekend and will be looking to build further away from the relegation scrap come the end of the season.

• Swansea City are unbeaten across their last seven league games against Sheffield Wednesday (W3 D4), since a 3-1 defeat at Hillsborough in February 2019.

• Sheffield Wednesday have failed to win any of their last six away league games against Swansea City (D3 L3), failing to score more than one goal in any of those matches.

• Swansea City have lost their last two home Championship matches, last losing more consecutively in January and February 2024 (4 in a row).

• Sheffield Wednesday have won just one of their last 17 away league matches in Wales (D7 L9), beating Cardiff City in September 2020.

• Since losing 2-0 to Leicester City in February 2024, Sheffield Wednesday haven't lost any of their last 12 league games against City teams (W5 D7).

Image source, Getty Images

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl believed the Owls did enough to come away from the Hawthorns with a point.

"The second half was a good Championship game from both teams, both teams tried to win it," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"It's hard. I really feel for my players. I think we deserved a point. In the first half West Brom did more for the game, but it was ok for me, today.

"We changed the game with the subs. A draw would have been fantastic today, and deserved.

"We had the chance to take a point here, but at the end we conceded a goal from a set-piece. It's hard to take.

"We believed we could do something. In the first half we had a little too much respect sometimes."

On the disallowed Djeidi Gassama goal, he said: "I never complain about decisions, it is what it is, it's football, but to take a goal back after 16 seconds is a little bit hard to take. It's not really clear for me."

Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl says new signing Ryo Hatsuse had "a passion" to join the club.

The 27-year-old defender is the first Japanese player to sign for the Owls having been on trial since leaving Vissel, who won the J-League title in 2023 and 2024.

"It fascinated me how much passion he comes here [with]," Rohl told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"From the first talk he said he wanted to be a Sheffield Wednesday player.

"He didn't talk with me before. He said 'it's my dream to come here and play for you', and his mindset was fantastic to see.

"It's a good option for us to take him."

Image source, Getty Images

West Bromwich Albion will be looking to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat at bottom side Plymouth when they host fellow play-off chasers Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

The Baggies are sixth in the Championship but only above Middlesbrough in seventh on goal difference.

Meanwhile the Owls are only two points back in 10th place and could move into the top six with victory, even if only temporarily.

• West Brom have won three of their past four home league games against Sheffield Wednesday (D1), having been in winless in the previous seven (D4 L3).

• Sheffield Wednesday have won each of their past two league games against West Brom, last winning more consecutively between 1961 and 1963 (5).

• West Brom have lost just one of their past 15 home league games (W7 D7), and are unbeaten in 10 at the Hawthorns since a 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough in October.

• Sheffield Wednesday lost their first three away league games this season. However, since the start of October only Burnley (25) and Sheffield United (23) have earned more away points in the Championship than the Owls (20).

• Sheffield Wednesday's Michael Smith has scored in both of his past two league games, coming off the bench both times. He last scored in three consecutive league games within the same season in August/September 2021 while at Rotherham.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked what you thought about Sheffield Wednesday's transfer business after the window closed on Monday.

Midfielder Shea Charles returned on loan from Southampton after the Owls struck a fresh agreement with the Premier League side, while Stuart Armstrong was signed from Vancouver Whitecaps.

Winger Ibrahim Cissoko also joined on loan until the end of the season from Toulouse, having spent the first half of the campaign with Championship strugglers Plymouth.

Midfielder Sean Fusire was the only player to leave, joining Carlisle United on loan until the end of the season.

Here are your responses:

Ben: Charles coming back was big. I don't believe we need a No.9 as stats suggest our attacking output is good. Would have liked to have seen maybe LWB & CB or maybe two join the club to tighten up defensively. Still sort our home form and turn a few of the draws into wins and we could sneak into the play-offs. We just need to remember that so far this has been an amazing improvement on last season.

Alan: We are desperate for a strong centre-back and have been for a long time. Why no action?

David: I think we needed a defender. There is still a chance we sign Ryo Hatsuse, but if we don't it could prove disastrous, as we only have two fit central defenders. I think Armstrong and Cissoko are good signings, but without extra defensive cover could prove to be irrelevant.

Darren: Disappointed. I thought we would have done a lot more business if we are aiming for the top six.

David: Everyone thought a centre-back was the priority, but that didn't happen. Securing Shea Charles by extending his loan was massive, and the signing of Stuart Armstrong was another masterstroke. Although we wanted a couple more loans, we need to remember where we were last season. Rome wasn't built in a day.

Perry: Wednesday got the important things right and may have added a useful bit of flair as well. It will add up to an interesting end to the season.

Eric: We are nowhere near a promotion side. Charles' loan extension is very important but the newcomers are very moderate indeed. Just as we are at the moment. Staying up should be the focus, nothing else.

Robert: Good spirit at club which can easily be disrupted by too many additions and players who are not match fit. Yes, another central defender wouldn't go amiss, but time for the current defenders to stand up. Not disappointed and always a balancing act

Ian: Underwhelming transfer window. Hopefully Danny's tactical nous will keep us out of trouble.

Paul: An opportunity lost as usual. Chansiri either wants success or just mid-table happiness that suits him. Danny will not hang around forever.

Rob: Some defensive cover would have been useful, especially as we seem to struggle to hold on to a winning position at the moment. Play-offs probably unrealistic because of that but we can hope...