Lee Grant: 7.5 – Looked shaky on crosses as the Owls generally failed to defend their penalty area well from wide attacks but proved his shot stopping ability with two fine second half saves as the game became stretched.
Lewis Buxton: 5 – His own goal was ultimately the difference between the two sides but in addition to this Buxton didn’t look comfortable all evening as he hasn’t done in recent games on the right side of defence.
Tommy Spurr: 6 – His effort and commitment can never be questioned and this was visible in his eagerness to keep things moving and get the Owls back into the game but sometimes lacked composure going forward and struggled to prevent the home side from getting in crosses in the first half.
Darren Purse: 5.5 – Reacted slowly in the lead up to the opening goal and failed to command and compose his defence as would be expected of an experienced Captain and centre-back. After a strong start to the season he has looked suspect in recent matches.
Richard Wood: 6.5 – Wasn’t at his best but perhaps this was understandable having only just been passed fit to play, received little assistance from his colleagues in the back four.
James O’Connor: 6.5 – One of few who made any impression in the first half. Tried to get forward but looked lost at times when potentially well positioned. Made an important block to deny Ward in the first half and put some tackles in although not all well-timed.
Darren Potter: 6.5 – Had little impact as Wednesday struggled in the first half. Doesn’t have the impetus to bomb forward ad support attacks nor the tackling ability to support the back four. Improved in the second half as his astute passing had more outlets with Gray looking livelier and Esajas influencing the play.
Michael Gray: 7 – Quiet in the first half but came into the game more in the second. Never shirks responsibility and always makes himself available. Has a tendency to come inside too much when playing on the right and doesn’t get much attacking support down that side from Buxton.
Jermaine Johnson: 5 – Was rumoured not to be 100% going into the game and it showed. Rarely made an impact and it was no surprise to see him replaced at half-time.
Marcus Tudgay: 7.5 – Worked tirelessly throughout, winning a number of flick-ons to no avail in the first half and going closest to an Owls goal in the first 45. Took his goal really well to give Wednesday hope but will have been disappointed to blaze an easier chance over.
Luke Varney: 6 – Not his best display for the Owls. Got into a number of good positions but lacked awareness of what was happening around him and was wasteful as a result.
Etienne Esajas: 8 – Replaced Johnson at half-time and along with Tudgay almost sparked an improbable turnaround. Was a threat from set pieces, scoring one superb free-kick and creating chances with other efforts. His lively display was a stark contrast to what Johnson had offered in the first half.
Leon Clarke & Tommy Miller: 6, 6: Both of the Owls other substitutes were unable to make a decisive impact on the match.
In summary realistically Wednesday blew any chances of a result with sloppy first half defending. The fact that Johnson, so often a key outlet for the Owls, was off form meant that they were unable to create any consistent pressure in the first 45 minutes.
The introduction of Esajas prompted a major turnaround with more options becoming available for the passing of Potter and as a result more possession meant less pressure on the shaky defence.
The Owls look like a reasonable team in possession but do not have enough bite to win it back quickly and effectively enough and they continue to make costly individual mistakes defensively.