Sheffield Wednesday boss admits 'hurt and anger' after loss to Oxford United and issues Barry Bannan update

Wednesday dominated possession against the relegation-threatened U’s but squandered opportunities to make it count.

They were punished late in the second half, when Sam Long popped up with a header to sink the Owls.

It marked yet another narrow defeat on home turf for the Owls, who last won at Hillsborough on New Year’s Day.

Rohl said: “We controlled the game but to lose against Oxford, again, in a row, 1-0 again, it hurts and it makes me angry today.

“We couldn’t come to 100 per cent in 90 minutes. As a team, they are fighting for something. In some moments, you saw that. It’s hard at the moment, it’s a tough time, for the group and for me. But it’s football.”

Wednesday’s hopes of making the Championship play-offs have fizzled out and further off-field turbulence has only worsened the mood in S6.

Rohl said: “In this moment now, it’s not really possible to change many things. I think [there are] a lot of topics around us at the moment.

“For a team who now plays for nothing, it is maybe hard to come to 100 per cent and you need 100 per cent in this division to win games.

“Then you have the feeling when you break the last line, again and again, and you couldn’t find the guy and you miss chances and chances. I think Oxford did exactly what we knew. Long ball, second balls, throw-ins, that’s it. They defend as a group.

“We tried to play football, we tried to attack. Sometimes, we couldn’t find the spaces. At half-time, I said to the players ‘I want more speed in our game’. We tried it again and again but we couldn’t make the final decision. It’s hard to take. It doesn’t feel good.”

Talismanic midfielder Barry Bannan is rarely absent for Wednesday but missed out on the squad entirely.

While providing an update on his captain’s fitness, Rohl alluded to players looking to receive opportunities in the final stretch.

Rohl said: “He got an injection yesterday, it doesn't look good. That’s also football maybe. He pushed his performance the last 17 months at a very high level, he played nearly every game.

“There comes a point now where maybe the body asks for some rest. This is normally a time where other players can step in this position. Players, they demand and they want to speak with me and all these things, I try to give everyone opportunities now, give them the chance to show. Today, it’s hard.”

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