Francis Jeffers and Akpo Sodje have long been ruled out of a return before next season, and Marcus Tudgay's knee problem means he could well miss the rest of the campaign, too.

So Laws will keep his fingers crossed that Deon Burton and Ben Sahar come through international duty unscathed this week. Burton travels to Jamaica and Sahar heads for Israel.

Both will rush back to Hillsborough on Thursday, just 48 hours before the Owls host Championship pacesetters Stoke City.

That leaves on-loan Enoch Showunmi, yet to score for Wednesday, as the only fit striker on the training ground this week. Hardly ideal preparation for a match which takes on even more importance after a stoppage-time equaliser robbed Wednesday of a deserved win against Palace on Saturday.

Laws said: "Both are playing on Wednesday and I have no idea when I will be seeing them again, or whether they will be fit again."

Sahar, on loan from Chelsea, has had to bide his time for a full debut, but showed his quality when opening the scoring.

Franck Songo'o and Deon Burton were involved in the build-up to send the teenager through the middle and he slotted a low shot beyond Julian Speroni.

This after both sides had smacked the woodwork, through Clinton Morrison and Sean McAllister respectively.

Palace were typical of sides managed by Neil Warnock – "they play with a Northern spirit" chuckled the former Sheffield United manager afterwards – and they were unlucky not to be level before Ben Watson hammered home a free-kick. Lee Grant, who earlier had denied Clint Hill with a stunning save, was helpless this time.

But after the break, Wednesday stepped up a gear, McAllister at the hub of their best efforts.

Deon Burton and Graham Kavanagh missed with close-range headers, but the goal which they had been threatening finally arrived on 68 minutes.

Burton played in Wade Small behind the full-back and the former MK Dons winger drove towards Speroni's goal before unleashing an angled drive.

Palace looked deflated, but Sahar sidefooted wide with the goal at his mercy.

With the game in the third minute of stoppage time, and Warnock getting the anticipated abuse from the stands, Palace's Matt Lawrence forced home an equaliser after a third corner in succession to leave the self-confessed Blades fanatic enjoying the moment.

"With the crowd asking me what the score was near the final whistle, it was extra special," admitted Warnock.

"There was some great chances, we haven't created as much for many matches, but we have never been as poor defensively. The lads at the back have got away with murder. I don't know if the lads went out last night, because there's some good clubs in Sheffield.

"We were sloppy at times, which gave the Wednesday lads a lift, but all credit to them, I thought they played some good football at times. They had a few chances at 2-1 where they could have finished the game off."

Wednesday stay in the bottom three, but with two games in hand, and playing well – taking eight points from a possible 12 – Laws is confident of staying up.

" It's sickening, football can be so cruel and that was cruel. Twenty seconds to go and we concede. Yet the football we played today was sensational at times, we absolutely battered Crystal Palace. The players are very dejected because it's two points lost.

"The fact is we are better off than last week. We are getting closer to the teams above us and we have games in hand. We have been here and in this position for a while and we've got the mental attitude and toughness to stand it.

"Some might say it's two points lost and we could have moved up four or five places, but we're also one point closer than last week."

Sheffield Wednesday: Grant, Hinds, Wood, Beevers, Spurr, Songo'o, Kavanagh, McAllister, Small (Showunmi 87), Sahar, Burton. Unused substitutes: Burch, O'Brien, Watson, Bolder

Crystal Palace: Speroni, Lawrence, Hill, Hudson, Fonte, Derry (Robinson 77), Soares (Danns 59), Watson, Scannell (Hughes 86), Scowcroft, Morrison. Unused substitutes: Fletcher, Hughes, Kudjodji.

Referee: R Booth.

Owls man of the match: Sean McAllister.