Sheffield Wednesday 2 Blackpool 0: Revival continues as Owls edge further from drop zone

Goals from midfield duo James O'Connor and Darren Potter at the start of each half were enough to see off Blackpool and make it five wins from seven games since Irvine replaced Brian Laws at Hillsborough.

The Owls had managed just three home wins under Laws all season before his exit, but Irvine has matched that in just a few short weeks with this third successive home victory.

Wednesday – who were unchanged from the side which lost 2-1 at Nottingham Forest on Saturday – held a minute's applause before kick-off in an emotional tribute to soldier Liam Riley, who was killed serving in Afghanistan last week.

The 21-year-old corporal was from a long line of Wednesdayites and was a season ticket holder at Hillsborough before he joined the Army.

With the players donning black armbands and flags lowered to half mast atop the stadium, there was a sombre mood among the 19,058 crowd until O'Connor's second-minute goal following a surging run down the left by full-back Tommy Spurr.

The 22-year-old defender delivered a perfect cross and the Owls midfielder was unmarked to power his header into the top corner of Paul Rachubka's net.

It was to prove a rare moment of class in an opening half hour which saw both teams cancel each other out in the middle of the park, broken only by speculative long-range efforts from Wednesday's Michael Gray and Blackpool's Jason Euell.

The visitors' more cultured football was being well-shackled by some industrious closing down and tackling from O'Connor and Potter in the heart of Wednesday's midfield.

But the Tangerines – missing the suspended Charlie Adam – should have equalised in the 31st minute when Marcus Tudgay lost possession and a swift break saw the ball reach on-loan striker DJ Campbell, but he could only direct his header wide of goalkeeper Lee Grant's post.

It was the same outcome moments later at the other end, when another on-loan striker – Owls' Luke Varney – drilled his effort high over the crossbar when crowded out by two defenders on the edge of the penalty area.

Potter then had Rachubka scrambling with a 25-yard deflected effort within a minute of the restart, before the Owls midfielder finally got the goal to cap a fine display. Varney broke down the left and when his low cross came in, Potter wrong-footed his marker before curling a shot beyond the former Huddersfield Town goalkeeper.

Darren Purse had to be alert to block Campbell's effort after the former Birmingham City striker found himself in acres of space, and Rachubka managed to thwart Varney from close range after good work from Tom Soares on the left flank.

Sheffield Wednesday: Grant, Simek, Beevers, Purse, Spurr, Soares, Potter, O'Connor, Gray, Tudgay, Varney (Clarke 76). Unused substitutes: Jameson, Hinds, McAllister, Lekaj, Boden, Esajas.

Blackpool: Rachubka, Baptiste, Edwards, Butler, Crainey, Southern (Husband 86), Euell, Vaughan (Bangura 86), Taylor-Fletcher, Cambell, Dobbie (Burgess 76). Unused substitutes: Gilks, Evatt, Martin, Almond.

Referee: G Eltringham.