Danny Rohl on a Sheffield Wednesday home draw which was 'hard to take' and his response to suggestions he made his substitutes too late against Stoke City

Wednesday missed several chances before taking the lead from an unlikely source when Liam Palmer rifled in his second goal of the campaign to put the Owls in front on 68 minutes – to the relief of Wednesdayites.

Stoke had brought little to the table before then, but were sparked into action by the concession after levelled eight minutes later through substitute Luke Cundle to secure a precious point in their own survival fight.

Wednesday had late pressure and opportunities to win it, but it proved a frustrating finish with the Owls remaining in the drop zone when three points would have lifted them out of it for the first time since August 12.

Rohl, whose side return to action at Blackburn Rovers on Sunday week, said: “It is hard to take. We dominated the whole game and had so many chances. “After 10 minutes, we should lead two or three-nil. It’s a little bit similar to the Swansea game in the second half and we missed a lot of chances and it’s just a draw.

"At the moment, a draw is not helpful to us.

"Next week, I have to lift my players and we try again. This is what I will do. I signed my contract exactly six months ago and have worked so hard with my team and maybe someone will see all we have invested in the last six months and also to the end (of the season)

"It’s football and I think in the whole game that James Beadle had just one save. That’s it. The second one is a goal.

"We were in front and had the stadium behind us and showed a good performance. But all in all, it’s about results and at home, it’s three draws in our situation, it is not enough to make the step.

"We have three more games and nine points to take and that is what we will try to do."

Stoke manager Steve Schumacher’s introduction of Cundle, just three minutes before his leveller, earned a massive dividend for the Owls, on a day when Rohl only introduced Anthony Musaba and Bailey Cadamarteri in stoppage time, while Djeidi Gassama only came on in the 83rd minute.

On whether he could have made changes earlier, the German added: "Until the equaliser, there were not many reasons to change something. You score, it’s 1-0 and then prepare the subs for what you can do and if you have to make changes or not.

"We were very compact and there was not one reason why we had to make so many subs.

"It was eight minutes between the goals and they changed players and it was a little bit all-in for them and it opened up the game a little bit.

"Then, we come one moment too late and we are not organised. I think it was the only time in the whole game we were not organised and compact. But it is the Championship, every mistake could be a goal against you. This is what we have to take."