Sheffield Wednesday 2 Rochdale 0: Troubled Owls earn victory

The Owls have just over 48 hours to secure a deal that enables the club to avoid administration.

If they don't, they stand to be docked 10 points by the Football League – a penalty that will make winning promotion back to the Championship this season even tougher.

O'Connor is just as keen as anyone at Hillsborough to discover what the future holds but revealed on Saturday that his wife Amy is about to give birth.

And if nothing happens today, she is booked in at Sheffield's Jessops Hospital tomorrow to be induced.

"I just hope everything falls into place," he said. "Right now, it looks like I am going to have a very busy day because I will need to have one eye on the TV and one eye on my wife."

Dubliner O'Connor, 31, has spent the last two and half years with the Owls and his performances in midfield have always been a shining example of total commitment.

The pain of last season's relegation will only go away if the Owls win promotion and Saturday's victory over Rochdale closed the gap on the top two clubs to just four points.

"We are just gaining a bit of a momentum so a 10 point deduction would slice us to bits," he admitted. "Everyone is totally in the dark but, obviously, we all hope the club doesn't go into administration.

"There has been talk of this takeover for so long now – but it does look as if things are finally going to come to a head on Tuesday. I'm hopeful that there will be an agreement but, in the meantime, it's important for us to win games and concentrate on what we could affect."

Goals from Giles Coke and Clinton Morrison secured a third victory in a week for the Owls after back-to-back victories in cup competitions against Southport and Hartlepool Unted.

But it was a far from comfortable victory as the club which won promotion from League Two last season held out for more than an hour.

Irvine had stressed the need for his side to break up Rochdale's passing game – citing the fact that Keith Hill's men had completed 490 passes in their previous away game. Yet for long periods, the Owls still sat too deep and were inviting pressure

Goalkeeper Nicky Weaver tipped a shot wide from Joe Thompson and the Owls looked less than comfortable defending first-half corners.

However, as the game progressed, the Owls began to look more dangerous and striker Neil Mellor was unlucky with a header that struck the crossbar.

Referee Steven Rushton failed to spot a foul throw by Scott Wiseman which indirectly brought a corner to the visitors.

Home supporters expressed disapproval and breathed a massive sigh of relief as the subsequent corner was turned wide.

Rushton added fuel to the fire by allowing Rochdale defender Craig Dawson to frequently push Clinton Morrison to the floor.

Dawson has already been snapped up by Premier League side West Bromwich Albion and looks a player with a real future in the game.

But, Dawson apart, there was nothing else in Rochdale's armoury to strike fear into Wednesday hearts.

The deadlock was finally broken 17 minutes after half-time when Coke produced a stunning finish from the edge of the box.

The midfielder had not played anywhere near his best until that point but the goal lifted a weight off his shoulders.

Unfortunately for Coke, he later talked himself into the referee's notebook and that fifth booking of the season means he will be suspended for next week's trip to MK Dons.

Thompson spurned a golden opportunity to equalise for Rochdale just eight minutes later when a poor header by Purse left him one-on-one with Weaver.

The striker jinked the ball over the Owls goalkeeper but it rolled inches wide of the post.

After surviving a spell of pressure, Morrison wrapped things up seven minutes from time with a close-range header.

Owls manager Alan Irvine said: "We had highlighted weaknesses that we could exploit and the players exploited them. Sometimes when I say we have a look at the opposition in great detail, people see that as a negative. But we look for areas where we can hurt them, it's not all about us being careful."

Only 16,520 attended – the lowest for a league game so far this season at Hillsborough. The result sent the majority home happy but still anxious over what the next few days will bring.

The Owls have been drawn away at Carlisle United in the northern area semi-final of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

Former Owls and Newcastle defender Steve Watson, meanwhile, has been appointed development coach by Yorkshire neighbours Huddersfield Town.

MATCH FOCUS

Hero: Clinton Morrison

The Owls striker grabbed his third goal in three games to secure the 2-0 victory and his overall performance confirmed that he is now back to full match fitness after a slow start to his career at Hillsborough.

Villain: Craig Dawson

Snapped up by West Bromwich Albion but loaned back to Rochdale, this young centre-back used every trick in the book to unsettle the Owls strikers and subsequently upset home supporters.

Key moment

70th minute: Rochdale striker Joe Thompson spurns a gilt edged opportunity to equalise after a poor header by Owls captain Darren Purse leaves him one-on-one with goalkeeper Weaver.

Ref Watch

Steven Rushton: Lost the trust of the home crowd during the first half when he allowed Rochdale to get away with a foul throw.

Verdict

An important but far from polished display by the Owls who so nearly threw away two points. The result could easily have been different against a better side than Rochdale.

Quote of the day

My chairman and board do everything correctly – but can we afford Clinton Morrison? Absolutely not!

– Rochdale manager Keith Hill shows no sympathy for Sheffield Wednesday's financial plight.

Next game

MK Dons, away, Saturday November 20, League One.

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