Sheffield Wednesday picked up their first three point haul in five outings at the expense of rock bottom local rivals Doncaster Rovers on Saturday but it was anything but a routine victory.
A goal from Leon Clarke shortly before half-time proved to be enough to win the game, the striker is finally threatening to look like a Championship forward and is, at the moment at least, first choice up front for the Owls.
Marcus Tudgay looked strangely out of sorts, although to be fair he has returned from injury earlier than was expected and with Akpo Sodje and Francis Jeffers still working their way back to match fitness and Deon Burton out of form Clarke appears to be seizing his opportunity. Clearly he is not the finished article and there is plenty to work on but he is getting into good positions and scoring vital goals.
In truth the game epitomised much of Wednesday's season so far; a good first half performance at Hillsborough followed by a nervy and much less convincing second 45.
The Owls were by no means at their best in the first period but did create enough chances to warrant the lead at the break with Clarke, Tudgay and O'Connor all denied by smart saves from Rovers' experienced keeper Neil Sullivan.
Wednesday had a good start to the second half but this lasted barely five minutes and they were second best from then onwards. The midfield seemed to fail to get to grips with the visitors formation and Doncaster were able to control the play at times in the middle of the park with neat crisp passing.
Despite this, Lee Grant was only extended on a couple of occasions as Doncaster failed to make the most of their good build up play. Opportunities went bagging due to the fact that they lack the touch of a clinical striker and they need to rectify this if they are going to have any chance of staying in the division.
The victory should bring some relief and confidence to the side that have struggled of late and it is no coincidence that the upturn in fortunes in the past two games has coincided with the return of James O'Connor in the midfield. The Irishman is often an unspectacular performer but he has consistently provided a good link between defence and attack and his presence was clearly missed during the recent run of defeats.
Although it may have been an unconvincing win it gives Wednesday an impressive home record of 17 points from a possible 24 with just 3 goals conceded in 8 games.
The Owls must now seek to turn around their poor away form. They have just 1 win in 8 on the road and are yet to keep a clean sheet but the point picked up at Crystal Palace last week was a positive step and they must look to build on this at Derby next Saturday.