Rotherham United 0 Sheffield Wednesday 1: Millers show heart but Owls' have more to just get over the line

Sheffield Wednesday were wrongly denied another – Akin Famewo having a goal incorrectly chalked off – and Mallik Wilks headed against a post when Bambo Diaby's sweeping pass released Marvin Johnson to cross in the fifth added minute, but still their bite was nowhere near as fierce as their bark.

They have technical ability their near-neighbours cannot afford and since the January arrival of Ike Ugbo a striker capable of making the most of it but the fact they had to rely on a brilliant Barry Bannan goal-line clearance just to win on a day when relegation rivals Stoke City, Queens Park Rangers and Millwall did too tells you that like this game, staying up is going to be a long slog for them.

To see their team go in for the half-time oranges at 0-0 would have been unnerving for the 2,100 official away fans – there were others in the home sections – who would know second-half goals are not their team's forte but unlike the Andy Rinomhota shot Bannan got in the way of, they just got over the line. Just.

Given how well they payed for 45 minutes, it was incredible they made such heavy weather of it, but despite being bottom of the Championship, this depleted Rotherham side not lie down easily.

Wednesday got their wingers to the byline and had enough control of their game to let their wing-backs underlap them as Rotherham, hit by injuries to Ollie Rathbone and Sean Morrison which left them two short on the bench, toiled badly.

Losing Lee Peltier to an injury late in the first half – he tried to carry on in the second but soon had to admit defeat – was the last thing they needed.

Wednesday even won the coin toss, turning the teams around to attack the packed away end from the off.

Viktor Johansson had to make his first save after just three minutes from Liam Palmer, up for one of the many throw-ins Will Vaulks rained in.

Bannan's volley from a seventh-minute corner was so bad it went straight back to Marvin Johnson but the fact the taker had teed it up showed the confidence of the visiting players.

Ugbo did work the goalkeeper at the end of a good move when he laid the ball to Bannan to pick out Anthony Musaba for the pull-back.

Vaulks nearly caught his old club out, shooting low from a free-kick Johansson – and most people inside the New York Stadium – was expecting him to cross and had to scramble across the goal to stop it fizzing inside the near post.

Famewo had the ball in the net after running onto a Vaulks delivery and heading in, only to see a raised offside flag – erroneously, it would seem.

When Rotherham did see the ball, they usually gave it back far too quickly.

And so it continued, Pol Valentin's pass cut out to stop Ian Poveda capping off a lovely move. It was similar when Vaulks, Poveda and Musaba combined, only for the winger's cross to be cut out.

Poveda, on loan from Leeds, dribbled in off the byline but shot beyond the far post.

Vaulks put the rebound wide when a Marvin Johnson effort was blocked. Famewo glided past his man in the area but the defender panicked, taking another touch.

In response to the Owls' 11 shots, Rotherham had one, put over by Christ Tiehi when Shane Ferguson was given a second chance to cross after making a poor fist of his side's first corner.

Rotherham were much better at the start of the second half, but not assertive enough.

Their improvement forced a decisive triple substitution but not a home goal, Johansson releasing Nombe after saving a header from Dominic Iorfa, only for the home players to play the ball back to the frustrations of their supporters.

Iorfa was one of the three substitutes Danny Rohl introduced and within minutes of cming on he was pulling the ball back from the byline for Ugbo, taking a slightly deeper starting position because of Michael Smith's arrival, to finish smartly.

It was his sixth goal in five games, and only the fourth Wednesday have scored in the second half of an away game all season.

You might have thought that would be that, the Millers bowing to what in the first 45 minutes in particular had looked inevitable but they responded with a triple change of their own and with the hosts seemingly reluctant to go for the throat, started to force chances.

Charlie Wyke ran onto a Cafu shot at a free-kick and diverted it wide before Bannan was forced into an excellent goal-line block to stop Andy Rinomhota scoring an 80th-minute equaliser.

Rinomhota, shifted to wing-back by the post-Peltier reshuffle, came inside and had a shot blocked minutes later.

When Arvin Appiah won a corner in the fourth minute of stoppage time, you did just wonder but Cafu's corner was met by the balding head of Bannan shortly before Wilks passed up his chance.

It was a reminder that the Owls have spirit to go with their skill. Sadly, Rotherham are far too reliant on the former.

Rotherham United: Johansson; Odoffin, Peltier (Lindsay 53), Humphreys; Tiehi; Kioso, Rinomhota, Clucas (Appiah 81), Ferguson (Cafu 67); Eaves (Hugill 67), Nombe (Wyke 67).

Unused substitutes: Phillips, Seriki.

Sheffield Wednesday: Beadle; Palmer, Ihiekwe, Famewo; Valentín (Iorfa 63), Vaulks (Smith 63), Bannan, Johnson; Poveda (Gassama 63), Ugbo (Wilks 90+1), Musaba (B Diaby 80).

Unused substitutes: Dawson, James, Cadamarteri, Diaby.

Referee: D Webb (County Durham)