Blackburn Rovers were left to rue a succession of missed chances as bottom club Sheffield Wednesday battled to a goalless draw at Hillsborough, extending the visitors' run of clean sheets but also their search for a goal. Valerien Ismael's side dominated possession and territory for long spells, yet could not find a way past an inspired Pierce Charles in the home goal and a debutant centre-back, Cole McGhee, at the heart of a makeshift defence.
For Wednesday, rock-bottom of the Championship, still in administration and starting the day on minus seven, this was another night without the home league victory they crave and a winless run now stretching to 17 matches. But there were flickers of hope: Barry Bannan and Gabriel Otegbayo went closest for Henrik Pedersen's young side, who almost snatched the points late on despite being pinned back for much of a low-quality contest. Blackburn, meanwhile, stay 19th yet edge five points clear of the relegation zone, their third straight clean sheet unable to mask the sense of an opportunity missed.
Rovers on Top but Charles and McGhee Repel Early Storm
The pre-match storylines pointed to contrasting circumstances. Depleted Wednesday, still awaiting a takeover while remaining in administration, were forced into two changes from the 2-2 Boxing Day draw with Hull City, including a late withdrawal for experienced defender Liam Cooper. That opened the door for 19-year-old Cole McGhee to make his league debut in a side Pedersen later underlined contained just four senior players and seven youngsters. Blackburn, by contrast, arrived on the back of a resilient goalless draw at Middlesbrough, handing midfielder Moussa Baradji his first start in place of the injured Ryoya Morishita.