Sheffield Wednesday rip up script against Stoke City to draw line under eventful week

Preparations for the visit of Stoke City had been less than ideal, with speculation regarding Danny Rohl’s future and a spate of illnesses making it an eventful week.

Bernard’s dismissal looked set to be just another blow to absorb, further playing out the script of a trying weak.

Wednesday instead defied their numerical advantage, emerging from the half-time break with steely determination and a new sense of purpose to win 2-0.

“You get the red card and then you know it’s 45 minutes plus extra-time, said Rohl. “You think, ‘okay, how can we go in the second half?’. I chose the structure, 5-3-1, I wanted to go not too defensive.

“This is the reason I was wary of offensiveness in the midfield with [Djieidi] Gassama on the right, and Josh [Windass] in front. I had the feeling that if you have the ball, you can hurt them in some moments.

“We closed the centre very well, very organised. Then you need the momentum in the right moments to score twice.”

Windass drew first blood, sweeping home a Yan Valery cross to break the deadlock and spread hope across the wave of blue and white shirts and scarves.

The charismatic attacker had spoken candidly about Hillsborough difficulties pre-match and will have no doubt revelled in his moment in the spotlight.

Rohl, however, opted to shine the light on Valery.

“I think the first goal, I am very happy for Yan,” Rohl said. “In the last couple of weeks, some guys were critical of him. You saw the reaction from the team.

“Everybody celebrated his assist and this is good to see.”

The second was prodded home by Callum Paterson, another Owl perhaps in need of some loving. While still a popular figure in S6, his importance to the Wednesday case has undeniably waned under Rohl.

“Then you have the story of Pato,” said Rohl, “He works hard to get minutes, he was always focused in training. He worked hard to come to the moment.

“He knows his position at the moment but he never gives up. He goes again and again. I think this is good to see. Last week against Oxford, he was not in the squad. Today he was.

“I know he has a big heart for football, he’ll do everything again and again. Maybe we’ll see what the situation is in January, what makes sense, what makes no sense.”

Stoke’s attempts to claw their way back into the game were meagre and Tom Cannon could not even convert from 12 yards, seeing his penalty saved in dramatic fashion by James Beadle.

Wednesday’s growth under Rohl extends beyond tactics and systems, as with each passing week it becomes clearer how much his squad have bought into his ways.

He has developed a culture of higher standards and personal responsibility, with the a harmony unlike anything seen at Hillsborough for a while.

As the Wednesday fans fought the cold to stay and sing Boney M.’s ‘Daddy Cool’ post-match, it was abundantly obvious why he attracts such attention when vacancies arise.

Unfortunately for the Owls, he appears likely to continue to do so.

“Of course, at the end there were a lot of crossed balls, second post set-pieces,” said Rohl “This is always hard to defend. I’m proud of the attitude and the willingness.

“This was a big part after [the win over] Oxford [United]. I said to the team we have to celebrate these small moments in the game, stick together. We demand a lot and if there is one moment that is not right, we drop a little bit in our positive energy. I think today this was a big part in our win.

“We can do something here but as we see today, it’s always hard, all these games are close and right.”

Wednesday’s progress in the 14 months since Rohl’s arrival is also reflected in the approach of teams who lock horns with the Owls.

Stoke, led by former Huddersfield Town coach, Narcis Pelach, are hardly the route-one team they were during their Tony Pulis-led Premier League era.

Yet, at Hillsborough, their desire for directness and balls over the top was enough to evoke nostalgic memories of Ryan Shawcross and Rory Delap.

Wednesday were once a side who did little to force opponents into a change of style. That is no longer the case.

"I think when you look back at how Stoke normally play, they try to play football, more on the ground,” Rohl explained. “They come here, they come to us, and they play more long ball than ever before.

"I think this is exactly what I’ve tried to explain, the opponents come here and at first they look how they can get the point. Then the game changes.”