Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Tyreeq Bakinson scores first goal for the club as Owls find a way to beat Charlton Athletic 1-0

In a last throw of the dice, Darren Moore took off the disappointing Barry Bannan for another striker in Sylla Sow.

Almost instantly came the moment of quality the Owls had been labouring so long to find, Josh Windass crossing from deep and substitute Tyreeq Bakinson running onto it to head in.

Of the six goals Wednesday have scored from open play this season, five have come from midfielders (if you include wing-back Marvin Johnson). They may look light at centre-forward - even the cagey Moore tilted his cards down from his chest to admit he is on the lookout for another body there - but for now they are finding a way.

It was not a classic Sheffield Wednesday performance. In the first half in particular it was a really poor one as Charlton Athletic dominated but promotions are not only about winning when you play well, they are also about taking three points when you do not. This 1-0 win certainly ticked that box.

Until half-time there was a flatness about the Owls in the stifling heat despite the encouragement of a free-kick won by Johnson inside a minute which Bannan flicked invitingly into a space none of his team-mates thought to attack.

From that point on, though, the energy was coming from the Addicks as they looked to get crosses into the box. Jack Hunt did well to get across to the back post when Charlton played Scott Fraser into a position to deliver.

The Scot would later have a shot over, as would Steven Sessegnon.

David Stockdale was caught under another cross, but Charlton could not make the most of the corner. He dealt comfortably enough with an Albie Morgan shot which bounced just in front of him.

The hum of conversation around the ground showed the game was not really grasping Hillsborough and Moore spent most of first half sat impassive on a cooler box. When the half ended, though, plenty of fans were roused into boos.

Too often the Owls were wasteful in possession. Their best pass of the first 45 minutes was threaded down the inside-right channel by Michael Ihiekwe but Windass was in an offside position when he hit it. Bannan nearly pulled off an excellent return pass to the striker, but it was just cut out. They were the moments of promise either side of a dreadful Johnson corner straight out of play at the far post.

But if there were hints the hosts might finally be finding their feet, they had an almighty scare in the 40th minute, Corey Blackett-Taylor, taking the ball around Stockdale.

Liam Palmer, comfortably the Owls' best performer of the opening period, got back well to block the shot from his six-yard box.

Led by Windass, there was much more electricity about the hosts after the interval, but it was proving hard to convert into something meaningful.

As much as Callum Paterson nearly slid onto Windass's curling cross and Bannan scuffed a shot from his lay-off, Blackett-Taylor twice had sighters at the other end.

In the 52nd minute the Owls even had a shot on target, although a deflection took the sting out of Windass's effort. Technically Ben Heneghan had another at the back post for a free-kick but it was little more than a backpass.

As the substitutes piled on - five are allowed in this season's Championship - the game was played more and more in front of the Kop the Owls were attacking but Eoghan O'Connell did brilliantly to be first to a Johnson cross and the wing-back - switched to the left for the last 20 minutes - failed to return an excellent Lewis Gregory flick-on.

Finally Bakinson made a chance count to score his first goal for the club.

It could even have been more but for a Sow shot with the outside of his boot hitting a defender and two wild efforts from Windass - the latter mitigated by the defender throwing himself in his path.

Two-nil would have been flattering. One was reward for persistence, if not the quality of football Wednesday expect of themselves.