Sheffield Wednesday 2 Plymouth 1: Irvine takes 'ugly win'

For the second match in four days the Owls were involved in a turgid, scrappy encounter only this time, unlike at Scunthorpe United on Wednesday evening, they walked away with three points.

Ugly games are great if you win, terrible if you lose.

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Both matches showed why these three teams are fighting to avoid relegation, not even Luke Varney's first-half double could paper over the deficiencies that new manager Alan Irvine has inherited.

They were laid bare in a lacklustre opening which saw Wednesday fall behind to Rory Fallon's header.

If any representatives from Chicago-based Club 9 Sports LLC – whom the Yorkshire Post revealed last week are the mystery group who have been involved in investment talks at Hillsborough since November – were at the ground on Saturday they may have had to recalculate the size of the challenge they were taking on after that opening 24 minutes.

But at least they would have been impressed by the resilience and grit that Irvine has imposed on Wednesday since he arrived five games ago. Four wins and 12 points later, they sit five points clear of the relegation places and even casting an ambitious eye towards sixth-placed city rivals Sheffield United, who sit 10 points higher in the table.

The play-offs may be out of Wednesday's reach this season, but all former Preston manager Irvine is concerned about is grinding out seven more wins which will guarantee Championship football next season.

He said: "If it takes winning ugly to stay in this division, I will take it. We won and that is the most important thing.

"We need at least seven more wins and while we would like to be playing exciting, attractive football in the long term, we have to do what's necessary in the short term.

"I'll take seven more horrible wins if that's what it will take to keep out of trouble.

"The players are delighted with the win because they said they don't usually win games like that. Their performance wasn't the best but the application was fantastic."

None more so than Varney, on loan from Derby County for the rest of the season. He only started because of injury to Leon Clarke, but turned in his best display in an Owls shirt, twice using his pace to get on the end of good work from Tommy Spurr and Marcus Tudgay to wipe out Plymouth's advantage.

After his first fortnight in charge which saw five games squeezed in, Irvine gave his players a day off training today as they look to rest some aching limbs ahead of Saturday's trip to Nottingham Forest.

"I've given the players Monday off because they have put so much effort into the cause," he added.

"Some of these lads will not have played five games in two weeks for a long time."

While Wednesday under Irvine's stewardship are heading in the right direction, most Hillsborough fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that the investment talks come to fruition.

Sheffield Wednesday: Grant, Buxton (Simek 66), Purse, Beevers, Spurr, Soares (Sodje 70), Potter, O'Connor, Gray, Varney, Tudgay. Unused substitutes: Jameson, Hinds, McAllister, Jeffers, Esajas.

Plymouth Argyle: Stockdale, Duguid, Fletcher, Clark, Mackie, Arnason, Fallon, Sawyer, Summerfield (Noone 82), Johnson, Judge (Wright-Phillips 70). Unused substitutes: Larrieu, Barker, McNamee, Barnes, Gow.

Referee: K Wright. (Cambridgeshire).

Man of the match: Luke Varney.

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