No End to the misery for Laws

The Owls completed a miserable month with a 3-1 home defeat to Preston North End, their fifth straight league defeat. It leaves Brian Laws' side winless in 2007 heading into February and now 12 points adrift from the top six. That gap was just three points after the Owls had trounced Barnsley 3-0 at the end of December.

Wednesday had performed well under par in their midweek trip to Southampton, other than a ten minute spell after half time, and made the perfect start on a sunny winter afternoon at Hillsborough when Deon Burton scored after just four minutes. Mark Beevers, making his home debut, found Marcus Tudgay who in turn did well to feed the ball to Burton. The former Rotherham United forward jinxed his way past a couple of tackles before slotting the ball low past North End keeper Andy Longergan.

Most of Wednesday's problems though have been defensive. Just one clean sheet in their last 14 league and cup games has put the forwards under a lot of pressure but even more worrying is how quickly the Owls are conceding after scoring. Brett Ormerod's soft equaliser just two minutes after Burton's opener was the fourth game in a row that the opposition have hit Wednesday back straight away.

England Under 21 international David Nugent picked out Ormerod who was unmarked from six yards, Frankie Simek guilty of ball watching on this occasion, to head past Mark Crossley in the Wednesday goal.

It was an entertaining first 45 from there on in with plenty of chances falling to either side. But it was the visitors who got their heads infront right on half time as the Owls conceded another easy goal. Stand in skipper Lee Bullen was simply unable to keep up with Nugent who outpaced him over 20 yards before slotting the ball straight past Crossley on his near post.

A third strike for the promotion chasers ten minutes into the second period effectively killed the game off. Ormerod returned the favour for his strike partner by setting up Nugent's second of the afternoon. His cross from the left was bundled into the back of the net from close range inbetween two Wednesday defenders.

It was too much for Wednesday to come back from as they now look like a team low on confidence. With no Madjid Bougherra and other key players Graham Coughlan and Richard Wood absent from a struggling back four - it is likely to be a testing few weeks ahead from Owls boss Brian Laws.

Laws verdict: "I thought it was a cracking start. We went 1-0 up at home but then we really let ourselves down with the equaliser." "All three goals were down to Sheffield Wednesday and that is what is most disappointing." "It just wasn't good enough, we shot ourselves in the foot. I would absolutely die for a clean sheet."