Sheffield Wednesday v Coventry City: Owls' high sub standards are producing 'special moments'

But Danny Rohl’s Owls have shown there is more to them than just their first XI. Just as well.

They welcome Coventry City on Saturday knowing they could end the evening in the play-offs if they win and West Bromwich Albion and Bristol City lose tricky away games.

Rohl has spoken about wanting to be within striking distance of the top six when the next international break comes around in mid-March. Doing that will require others to step up.

The Owls have been disconcertingly vague about what is up with Bannan and how long it will keep him out of the team, but it is a worry.

Things are much clearer when it comes to Di'Shon Bernard, whose season has been ended by knee surgery. With Akin Famewo and Dominic Iorfa also injured, Michael Ihiekwe will either be partnered by 20-year-old Gabriel Otegbayo, or more likely Max Lowe, one of the mix-and-match alternatives Rohl's coaching has developed.

Being adaptable is the cornerstone of Rohl's team, and they won their first game since Bernard's injury 1-0 at Swansea City in midweek.

Coaches talk about having squads for a reason, and now Rohl is looking for others to grab their "special moment".

"This is about the group," he says. "I try to keep all the players with the group, even if some are behind, I try to speak with them.

"It is not always easy to have these talks but my experience this season is that every player will have a special moment.

"We have to be ready for these moments, you never know (when it might be needed). Sometimes you could have a special moment in the first matchday, sometimes it is maybe the last matchday.

"If you work hard as a group then everybody is at the same level.

"We have different profiles and different strengths but that helps us. The players also accept we rotate.

"We started early in the season with the rotation, it is always about how we can win games – which players we need at the beginning and which players we need at the end."

Backing up Rohl's words are the numbers.

The Owls cannot expect to have the same depth as the likes of Leeds United and Sheffield United, with their parachute payments, yet the German has made the most substitutions in this season's Championship, 153.

Between them, those substitutes have scored 14 goals, two more than the Championship's next best, Leeds. When it comes to the number “involved” in goals, Transfermarkt.com puts them much further ahead – 23 to 16 (Leeds again, and Blackburn Rovers).

"There is a reason why we have the most goals from subs in this league," says Rohl, proudly.

"As a manager you have ideas but it is about my players, they have the credit. They believe we can change something, that we have an impact.

"We might surprise sometimes with our starting line-up with this player or this player, but as always with the idea it is not that I do not like him or I love him more, it is about how the game could be in 90 minutes."

But the real strength of Rohl's side is that his changes do not only come from the bench.

He must surely be the manager in the division who changes his formation most often – with or without substitutions. At Swansea in the week it was about having two different teams – one to lay the foundations, the other to win it, through a goal from substitute Michael Smith.

"You can prepare something on how you can go in the game, you have an idea," said Rohl. "But we had to adjust some things on Wednesday and this helped us massively in the second half with our pressing.

"Swansea played on Sunday, one day less recovery, and after 60 minutes you have the feeling you can bring players in with fresh ideas to give more and more chances, they will make mistakes.

"My final thing was in the first 60 minutes we have a team on the pitch that fights for every inch, and then the final 30 minutes we had a team that goes to win."

It took penalties to separate the teams in the FA Cup in January – Frank Lampard's team came out on top – and Rohl is expecting this contest to be as tight.

"Small details will decide the winner," he says. "I wish that we make a fantastic afternoon for our fans with a good atmosphere in the stadium

"I think we should enjoy, stay positive. We will have small setbacks until the end, I promise you, but we will also have moments where we go and win games."

Sixth-placed West Brom are at Millwall. Even a draw for Bristol City at Cardiff City in the 12.30pm kick off would allow Wednesday to overtake them.