Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl not wasting 'energy' in seeking help from elsewhere with high total for Championship survival likely

A cursory glance at this season’s table with three matches to go would indicate that there’s a fair chance that Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield Town will need to reach a half century of points, or maybe more, in order to survive.

Owls head coach Danny Rohl is not one for setting targets, but acknowledges that his side may even require maximum points from their last three matches to stave off the drop.

In that aforesaid 12-13 campaign, Peterborough United went down with 54 points on a final day which saw Huddersfield and Barnsley fans rejoice after their draw.

In ten seasons since, only one team has needed 50-plus points to get over the safety line, with Nottingham Forest staying up with 51 points on goal difference at the expense of Blackburn Rovers in 2016-17.

In the other nine campaigns, a sub-fifty point total has ensured safety. The Owls’ current tally of 44 points would have been enough in five of those.

They visit Blackburn on Sunday and have serious work to do if they are to escape the bottom three - where they have resided since August 12 - when it matters on May 4.

Rohl said: "Fifty-three points could be high to stay in the league and that is what we have to try for.

"In the last three years, you look at the maximum points to stay up and when you look at this year (Owls’ current total), this is not enough and we have to collect (more) points.

"If we take nine points, the chance is big to stay in this league. With all the other results, I cannot predict or look at the future, but just prepare my team to be ready.

"If we beat Blackburn, we have three more points and it means we have 47 and that’s it. What it means at the end, nobody knows this yet. It makes no sense to start saying what happens.”

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It makes no sense too, according to Rohl, for everyone connected with the club to get stressed out by events on Saturday when all of their relegation rivals are in action apart from them.

For Rohl’s players, it’s not only a waste of time, but something far more debilitating.

The German, whose side will be backed by a huge travelling support of 7,400 fans at Ewood Park, continued: "It makes no sense.

"After a big point against Norwich, you look to the other results and start on Friday and on (last) Saturday.

"It costs too much energy and we need all our energy on our performance.

"This is what we have to do and by three o’clock on Sunday, we will know more.”

Sunday and beyond will be a time when Wednesday’s senior heads, who have been involved in some dramatic ups and downs during their time at the club, are likely to have to come to the fore in particular.

Rohl has done his part, lifting morale after last weekend’s self-inflicted draw with Stoke - on a day when his side let two survival points slip.

He now needs some assistance from his core leaders who are well conditioned to this time of year.

He continued: “After some games, you feel the atmosphere and everyone is human and you feel it.

"But I must lift the players and saw this week they are really sharp and have trained well with intensity and are serious and know what they need to do.

"We have experienced players and they know the situation from the last years and this is helpful and gives me a good feeling.

"I believe and trust the players. We’ve collected a lot of points (since my arrival) and want to take this final step and for this, we need the next step on Sunday.”