Sheffield Wednesday’s chances of surviving in the Championship have increased thanks to a mindset adjustment in the team.
That’s what victorious Owls manager Danny Röhl said in an interview with The Star following a crucial, spirited three-point victory over Bristol City. A double from forward Ike Ugbo, who is on loan, increased his record to five goals in four Wednesday games and gave them more hope in their once-improbable survival mission, even though other results made the day less than ideal.
Wednesday hasn’t won three of the last four. With victories over Huddersfield Town, Millwall, and QPR moving Stoke City up to the position above the 23rd-place Owls, the gap on the safety berths is no longer three points.
After the final whistle, there were emotional scenes as 10-man Wednesday held off a late onslaught from their opponents, threatening a well-earned 2-1 victory. When asked how he felt about the last few seconds of the fight, Röhl puffed up his cheeks.
“It is hard right now!” he exclaimed. “We play a lot of close games; we are aware of the opponent’s strength and variety of playable shapes, as well as how difficult it was to prepare.” I was focusing more on ourselves and the training we needed to do because of this. We had excellent practice, and it showed in the way we played.
“When I compare this to some of the previous games, there has been a significant improvement in terms of game management. Though it was a significant victory, we still need the points when compared to other league outcomes. But we have a really, really big chance to succeed if we approach this head-on and complete our assignments.
“When I consider our defense over the last four games, we have a lot of clean sheets in the half that we have won. Against Leicester, we conceded in the first half, but today it was a corner. It indicates that we have a foundation for our actions. When we entered the game, we deservedly had more ball possession, control, and solutions. We might have fallen a little bit previously, but we are now mentally strong, was our response when we gave in. I’m overjoyed.”
