Sheffield Wednesday secured a valuable 1-0 win in their bid to beat the drop in the Championship by seeing off neighbours Rotherham.

Ike Ugbo’s sixth goal in five games proved to be the difference between the two sides, leaving the Owls three points from safety.

Defeat casts Rotherham a whopping 19 points adrift of safety at the bottom.

Wednesday had more than enough chances to put the game to bed in a dominant first half but did not take the lead until past the hour mark and then had to defend sternly to keep hold of the three points.

Viktor Johansson had an early save to make after Ian Poveda had skipped by Shane Ferguson and rolled the ball into Liam Palmer whose effort was palmed out.

It took a tremendous block from Cameron Humphreys to deny Ugbo the opener after Anthony Musaba had cut in from the left flank menacingly.

Will Vaulks then almost caught out Johansson with a free-kick he shaped to cross before shooting low. The Sweden international was able to just get across to tip it wide.

Wednesday thought they had gone in front but Akin Famewo’s header from Vaulks’ free-kick was ruled out for offside.

Poveda then cut in from the right wing and flashed a powerful effort just wide of the far post.

Wednesday continued to be on top in the run-up to the break and Musaba’s effort was deflected onto the roof of the net after he had been slipped in by Poveda.

Rotherham started the second half brighter and had Wednesday keeper James Beadle worried for the first time when Sam Nombe took aim from distance and saw his effort go just over the bar.

Wednesday finally took the lead in the 66th minute with a well-worked move.

Barry Bannan and Ugbo were involved with neat passes in the box and the latter was then on hand to stroke home from Dominic Iorfa’s cross.

A dangerous free-kick saw Rotherham threaten with Jordan Hugill getting a touch onto fellow substitute Cafu’s powerful effort to divert the ball just off target.

Wednesday then had talisman Bannan to thank for preserving their lead as he somehow outstretched a leg to deny Andy Rinomhota’s goal-bound effort.

Marvin Johnson lashed at a big chance to double the advantage in the closing stages and his shot was well off target.

Mallik Wilks could have also put the game to bed in stoppage time but his diving header from Johnson’s cross cannoned off the post.

Northern Ireland will play the penultimate match of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign away to Finland on Friday.

On their last visit to Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium, Northern Ireland earned a point from a 1-1 draw in October 2015 to secure top spot in their group as they qualified for Euro 2016, but the context is very different this time.

Michael O’Neill’s injury-hit side have won just two of their eight Euro 2024 qualifiers so far – both against San Marino – and will be happy to see the back of this campaign after Monday’s match at home to Denmark.

Here the PA news agency looks at the key talking points ahead of Friday’s game.

The hits keep coming

Injuries have been a constant theme throughout a campaign in which Steven Davis, Stuart Dallas, Corry Evans and Shane Ferguson will not kick a ball.

But this week has seemed particularly cruel, with five players withdrawing – not least captain Jonny Evans and goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell – in the week since O’Neill named what was already an inexperienced squad last week.

It means 12 players are now out with injury, while Shea Charles is suspended for Friday’s match. O’Neill’s resources have never been more stretched than they are now.

Inexperience

With Paul Smyth, Paddy Lane and Brad Lyons joining Evans and Peacock-Farrell in pulling out of this trip, O’Neill has drafted in Ross McCausland, Caolan Boyd-Munce, Terry Devlin, Michael Forbes and Stephen McMullan.

All five are uncapped at senior level, while nine players in O’Neill’s squad have yet to reach double figures in caps.

Indeed, only Paddy McNair, Josh Magennis, George Saville, Jordan Thompson, Jamal Lewis and Conor Washington have more than 20 to their name. This is a very raw group.

A big opportunity for Hazard

With Peacock-Farrell out Conor Hazard is in line to start in Helsinki, the city where he enjoyed a loan spell in 2022, playing 39 games for HJK.

The 25-year-old will be up against plenty of familiar faces with four members of Finland’s squad – Arrtu Hoskonen, Pyry Peltola, Miro Tenho and Lucas Lingham – having been team-mates of his in the Finnish capital.

Hazard has made only one previous competitive appearance for Northern Ireland, last month in the 3-0 win over San Marino, although he played the full 90 minutes without needing to make a save.

But since then Hazard has lost the number one spot at Sky Bet Championship club Plymouth after Mike Cooper returned from nine months out with a ruptured ACL.

Signs of progress?

Despite everything that has gone wrong for Northern Ireland so far, O’Neill is adamant he has seen signs of progress in his side as he looks to develop young players who can spearhead future qualifying campaigns.

Players like Charles, Trai Hume and Isaac Price are starting to make their mark on this side and could now be considered contenders for regular playing time even within a fully-fit squad, while Daniel Ballard is emerging as a leader at the back.

But there is also frustration that players such as Conor Bradley, who could have really established himself over the past few months, have also been missing for most of the campaign with injury.

Saville’s big night

George Saville will take the armband for Friday’s match to mark the occasion the Millwall midfielder earns a landmark 50th cap.

The 30-year-old’s unfashionable role in midfield means has rarely been one to excite the Green and White Army during his international career, and while he may have scored a beauty against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, he is yet to break his duck for Northern Ireland.

But with seasoned internationals in desperately short supply, Saville’s experience has rarely been more important to the team.