Sheffield Wednesday 0 Wolverhampton 0: Kirkland content Owls have will and ability to avoid instant drop

Heading to Oakwell for the Yorkshire derby with Barnsley on December 15, the Owls were stuck on a seven-match losing streak and staring a swift return to League One in the face.

But six clean sheets from their last nine games – the latest coming on Saturday after the Owls were frustrated by Wolverhampton in a goalless stalemate – has seen Dave Jones’s side climb out of the drop zone and cut the gap on a pack of clubs above them.

Four wins, two draws and a solitary defeat in the Championship since Oakwell give former England goalkeeper Kirkland belief Wednesday – who are three points above Peterborough, the side sitting in the final relegation place – can get out of trouble.

“The lads have been superb, we have managed to tighten up and done a lot of work on the training pitch. Stu (Stuart Gray) has come in and had his input as well as Wilko (Paul Wilkinson).

“We are tightening up but we have got to keep doing that because we got ourselves in a terrible situation. We still have a long way to go. But if we keep a few more clean sheets, with the lads we have and our attacking threat, I am sure we will win more games.

“You just get into a rut and it’s hard to get out of it. But that’s gone now, we have got ourselves in a tough situation, and the only way we are going to get out of it is by doing what we have in the last seven or eight games.

“We have to carry on doing that for the next 18 games, and if we do that, we will be okay.”

Kirkland joined the Owls from Wigan in the summer, arguably Jones’s biggest success in the transfer market, although he did not have a single shot to save on Dean Saunders’s return to South Yorkshire.

“It was a tough game, Wolves’ set-up was very strong, there wasn’t much in it,” said 31-year-old Kirkland. “I thought we deserved to win, we had the better chances, but the important thing is not to lose so we keep our run going.

“It’s a tough league. No one has the right to score goals and win matches, you have to earn the right.

“Some days it goes for you, some days it won’t. We just have to keep plugging away, which we will and need to do, and hopefully we can claw ourselves away from trouble.”

It is no coincidence Wednesday have prospered of late after keeping a settled back four in place in front of Kirkland although he was quick to praise the impact of veteran midfielder David Prutton, who looked like his Owls career was over after being loaned out to Scunthorpe United.

He was handed a surprise recall by Jones due to injuries, and has been integral to Wednesday’s revival.

On Saturday, Jones made just one change from the side which beat Hull City the previous time out in the Championship.

Prutton returned after serving a two-game suspension, in place of Rhys McCabe. That meant Jermaine Johnson and Michail Antonio paired up front again, Jones persevering with the ploy of using no typical centre-forward, which had worked so well at Hull.

The first clear chance of the game fell to Kevin Doyle who found space in the Owls’ penalty area, but Anthony Gardner was quickly across to snuff out the danger.

It was a quiet opening for Wednesday, the most noteworthy moment coming when Antonio was floored after goalkeeper Carl Ikeme’s clearance hit the striker flush in the face.

Antonio was trying to close the visiting goalkeeper at every chance, and the next time he forced a mistake, Jermaine Johnson volleyed a speculative effort well wide with Ikeme stranded outside his box.

Antonio and Ikeme were having quite a battle, and when Reda Johnson – the left-back venturing forward for goalkicks with Wednesday having little height up front – flicked the ball into his Owls’ team-mate’s path, his low shot was blocked by the goalkeeper’s legs.

It was to prove a rare save from Ikeme, with Wednesday guilty of wasting a clutch of good chances.

Gardner’s poked shot from Miguel Llera’s free-kick was deflected wide to force a series of corners.

Reda Johnson thought he had scored from one, but with the Owls crowd cheering a goal, referee Andrew Madley ruled Ikeme had kept the ball from crossing the line.

Good work from Kieran Lee created a chance for Antonio, but the former Reading winger hammered a low shot just beyond Ikeme’s left-hand post, and Giles Coke and Lee also failed to find the target after impressive approach play.

Wolves came out in the second half and sat deeper, Karl Henry dropping back.

Chances were harder to come by for Wednesday, but Antonio spurned a glorious opportunity. He hurried Stephen Ward into an error, but with just Ikeme to beat, he wanted too much time before eventually firing high and wide.

Sylvan Ebanks-Blake won a rare corner for Wolves, but the ball broke to Antonio who raced down the centre of the pitch before playing in Jeremy Helan.

The on-loan Manchester City player was forced wide with his first touch, however, and he blasted his shot into the side netting.

Antonio mis-hit another golden chance after a superb low cross from Reda Johnson gifted him a close-range opportunity.

Jones threw on target man Gary Madine for the last five minutes in place of Jermaine Johnson, and the striker managed to get on the end of Antonio’s far-post cross but headed wide which encapsulated a frustrating day in front of goal for the hosts.