Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl on Owls sending out Championship 'signal' ahead of Sheffield United derby

Twelve months on and Wednesday are on a new adventure and this time, it revolves around the play-offs as opposed to second-tier survival.

The Owls have navigated two long-distance trips to opposite ends of the country in Plymouth and Norwich and picked up a six-point bounty.

They have wind in their sails ahead of the resumption of Steel City hostilities with derby foes Sheffield United on Sunday lunch-time at Hillsborough.

Victory for the hosts would possess more to it than bragging rights and inflicting a blow upon a Blades side in the thick of a three-horse race for automatic promotion.

Having propelled themselves firmly into the top-two picture by virtue of wins at Carrow Road and Home Park, three points would significantly embolden their hopes of reaching their end-of-season lottery.

Trailing 2-0 at the break against a Norwich side harbouring their own play-off aspirations, Wednesday produced their most important half of football in 24-25.

Goals from Michael Ihiekwe, Josh Windass and Djeidi Gassama sealed a dramatic 12-minute transformation as Wednesday reached the half-century of points mark in the Championship in the current campaign - on a night when play-offs candidates Coventry lost and West Brom drew.

For context, it took the Owls until the final weekend of April to achieve that feat in 23-24.

On reaching that milestone, Rohl said: “We can make a check and now we have nine finals., I want to say this.

"We make it step by step and let’s see which direction our journey will go this season. I think we have sent a signal with this win, two wins in a row and now we hope to make something special on Sunday.

"The games were very intensive with the trip, but the commitment is still there and now we can look forward to Sunday.”

Just as the race for automatic promotion could go right down to the wire, the same can be said of the battle to finish in the final two play-off spots, which looks incredibly open.

A win against a direct rival in Norwich, something they have struggled to do this season, was psychologically important, while Wednesday’s capacity to come from behind made another spectacular appearance after their previously feted accomplishments are Middlesbrough on Boxing Day when they came from three goals down at the interval to draw. No side in the division has taken as many points from losing positions as the Owls’ total of 20.

Rohl, whose side’s form on the road are bettered only by the top four, added: “The away performances have been outstanding and this was the next step to winning against a big team and good side with both teams having ambitions to play for something.

"Also the 20 points (from losing positions) shows a lot about the mentality of the group and that we are always able to do and change something.

"I know why I love my players like this. They always have a belief, even at half-time when I spoke to them and they looked in my eyes and said: ‘gaffer, we can do it.’”