Sheffield Wednesday 0 Watford 0: Owls out of luck as momentum stalls on a night of missed opportunities

But as 0-0s go, it could have been a lot worse.

A point against Watford is rarely to be sniffed at in the Championship, but the Owls are just cooling off after building up some momentum as 2023 became 2024.

Four matches without a win is far from disastrous for a team in the relegation zone, particularly not after they were the better team against Watford, but the results, like the transfer activity, have just tailed off a touch this month after a bright start.

Wednesday had more of the chance, and more of the really good ones, but they were not alone in cursing missed opportunities.

Both sides hit the woodwork, Watford's Matheus Martins had a shot at an open goal, Di'Shon Bernard nutmegged goalkeeper Ben Hamer, Michael Smith was served up a delicious headed chance by a Barry Bannan free-kick, and Anthony Musaba unleashed a fierce shot in the final minute of regulation time.

And somehow it remained scoreless.

The hosts were slow out of the traps as the Hornets focussed their attacks down the right through Martins, who was seldom far from the action until his half-time substitution.

Giorgi Chakvetadze forced the first save inside six minutes but it would be a quarter of an hour before Hamer was kept warm, Bannan shooting from distance. The resulting corner ended in a header wide for Iko Ugbo on his full Championship debut.

From there Wednesday started to take control, Liam Palmer shooting wide from distance and Djedi Gassama having a shot blocked and Musaba's follow-up saved after a good pass by Windass.

But the balance tilted on two free-kicks.

Both were hit low and into the wall but whereas Bannan's was easily dealt with, James Beadle stood frozen watching Martins' deflect onto his post. Fortuantey Bannan was quickest to the loose ball.

Tom Dele-Bashiru half-volleyed wide when a good Chakvetadze free-kick dropped to him two minutes before Martins missed an open goal.

In his defence, he was running at full speed onto the ball at a tight angle and on an unreliable pitch, but still Watford will feel they should have taken a 37th minute lead. The chance came about when Bernard stood and waited for the ball to come to him and Chakvetadze did not, working it to his opposite winger via Vakoun Bayo.

But Wednesday kept attacking well in an open game, a nice Ugbo lay-off feeding Windass, who found Musaba for a shot deflected wide.

Soon it was Ugbo hitting a post, Gassama's header from the rebound blocked.

The second half followed a similar pattern in that there was not much of a pattern – not that it made for a dull game, by any means.

Marvin Johnson hit a free-kick into the defensive wall and Ismael Kone put a chance wide at the other end after Akkin Famewo dozily allowed himself to be robbed by Bayo.

Poor defending by Pol Valentin on the hour produced another Watford chance as the kept the ball alive for half-time substitute Yasir Asprilla, only to be saved by Beadle's foot coming up with a timely block.

Bernard thought he had scored in the 66th-minute, getting on the end of a back-post free-kick and forcing the ball through Hamer's legs, only for the goalkeeper to claw it back before all of the ball could cross the line - certainly according to referee Rebecca Welch's watch.

Another deep free-kick in the 79th minute created a great chance for Smith. Without much pace on the floated deliver, Smith's header failed to provide the necessary direction and the scoreboard stubbornly remained blank.

Musaba's 90th-minute shot, on the back of Palmer's blocked one seconds before was excellent but so was Hamer's response.

It was just one of those nights when it was not going to go in, as stoppage-time substitute Mallik Wilks underlined by dragging a shot wide.

Wednesday have slowed down a touch, but they are still moving in the right direction.

Sheffield Wednesday: Beadle; Valentin, Bernard, Famewo, Johnson; Palmer, Bannan (M Diaby 86); Gassama, Windass (Smith HT), Musaba (Wilks 90+5); Ugbo (Cadamarteri 71).

Unused substitutes: Charles, Siqueira, Ihiekwe, James, Vaulks.

Watford: Hamer; Andrews, Pollock (Porteous 82), Hoedt, Lewis (Sema 73); Livermore; Martins (Asprilla HT), Dele-Bashiru, Kone, Chakvetadze (Dennis 86); Bayo (Rajovic 73).

Unused substitutes: Bachmann, Sierralta, Ince, Morris.

Referee: R Welch (Washington).