Another nail in the coffin at The Den

The Owls took another step towards Division Two football this weekend when they were comfortably downed by Millwall 3-0 at The Den. The Lions have hardly been the inform team of the division lately, but Wednesday played as though their fate for the season had already been determined.

Elsewhere Brighton, Grimsby Town and Stoke City all picked up points from their respective matches. It leaves the Owls now six points away from safety. Chris Turner now knows his men have been left something of a mission impossible to avoid the drop now. And after a performance like this, you'd be a brave man to put money on the Owls staying in this division.

Two goals minutes before half-time from Republic of Ireland international Steven Reid left the Owls with a huge uphill task in the second half. A third Millwall goal from Paul Ifill nine minutes after the break ended the game as a contest.

Just two points have been picked up in Wednesday's last four games and Chris Turner knows all too well that it just simply isn't good enough. Their hopes of survival are now pinned on their four remaining home games (Watford, Wimbledon, Grimsby Town and Walsall) whilst picking up as many points as possible in their three remaining away games (v Portsmouth, Brighton HA and Burnley).

This report from the BBC Football website:

Two goals from Steven Reid just before half-time and a third from Paul Ifill early in the second period gave Millwall a comfortable win over struggling Wednesday. The Owls more than held their own until Reid's opener, but their survival hopes now look bleak with only eight games left.

Millwall manager Mark McGhee had sprung a surprise by starting with Dennis Wise, after claiming in the week he would be rested after going down with a bug. The former England midfielder was the first to threaten, producing a decent save from Kevin Pressman. Pressman was stepping back into the breach after Paul Evans was ruled out for the rest of the season with a hairline fracture of his pelvis.

Neil Harris had an early shot cleared, although Lions keeper Tony Warner had to act smartly to tip an inswinging corner from Brian Barry-Murphy round the post. Simon Donnelly had a shot blocked by Wise as the visitors threatened before Warner saved a header from Tony Crane, Reid forcing a good save from Pressman in between. Warner was on hand again to produce a fantastic save to deny Lee Bradbury, with the keeper snuffing out the danger from Barry-Murphy's resulting corner.

The Lions took the lead just four minutes before the break, though, when Reid sent a 25-yard effort into the top left-hand corner. They doubled their tally in first-half injury-time when Reid connected from close range with Steve Claridge's right-wing free-kick.

Half-time: Millwall 2-0 Owls

Millwall killed the game off within eight minutes of the restart, when Ifill fired in left-footed from the edge of the area.

The Owls immediately threw on substitutes Steve Haslam, Shefki Kuqi and Lloyd Owusu in a desperate attempt to change things. The plan almost paid dividends within 10 minutes, only for Alan Quinn to hit the woodwork from just outside the area. But David Livermore almost added a fourth before the end only to be denied by Pressman.