Wednesday swim but Leicester sink

EVER SINCE a flood engulfed Hillsborough in the summer, Sheffield Wednesday have suffered a torrent of troubles. It is a significant consolation, however, that the club’s heads are still above water as the season hurtles towards its finale.

Wednesday finally moved out of the Championship relegation zone after Steve Watson and Leon Clarke’s second-half goals ensured Milan Mandaric, the Leicester chairman, will also not be able to relax for another week. In a match low on quality but high on drama, containing two missed penalties, Wednesday’s victory means they must beat Norwich at home next weekend to survive against all the odds.

Watson has admitted he will be calling up a few favours from his old friends at the Hawthorns, begging for the win that takes Wednesday’s future off the line.

Watson, a former Albion player, is desperate for Tony Mowbray’s troops to push Southampton further into relegation trouble with a win that will earn automatic promotion tonight.

He said: “I’ll be on the phone to every one of the West Brom players and telling them they can win the league tonight!

“I’ll be giving Jonathan Greening and Paul Robinson a call, definitely. I’ve never been a great fan of depending on other people but it’s got to that stage, I’m afraid.”

Leicester’s defeat leaves them needing a result at promotion chasers Stoke and facing a major battle to avoid dropping into the third tier for the first time in their history.

Iain Hume had fired the Foxes in front before Deon Burton missed a penalty, only for Bartosz Slusarski to level for the visitors.

Watson then pounced and Hume turned from hero to zero when he produced an appalling penalty miss.

Leon Clarke piled on the agony to ensure that Wednesday, Leicester and Saints look to be the other team that joins Colchester and Scunthorpe in League One next term.

LEICESTER (4-4-2): Henderson 7, Stearman 7, Clapham 5, McAuley 6, Kisnorbo 5 (N’Gotty 21 5), Oakley 5, Bell 6, Wesolowski 8, Hume 7 (Campbell 77, 5), Hayles 5 (Fryatt 77, 5), Howard.

Subs Not Used: Alnwick, Mattock.

SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY: Grant 6, Bullen 4 (Johnson 45, 6), Spurr 6, Wood 7, Beevers 8, Watson 8, Bolder 7, Songo’o 7, Sahar 7 (Clarke 83, 5), Burton 6, Slusarski 7.

Subs Not Used: Esajas, Wallwork, Burch.

REFEREE: Chris Foy (Merseyside) 6: Penalties were reasonable enough and generally handled things well.

MATCH RATING: **** Exciting, although Leicester will take no consolation from that.