Sheffield Wednesday vs Oxford United. Sky Bet Championship.
HillsboroughAttendance25,646.
Sheffield Wednesday 0-1 Oxford United: Sam Long scores winner for U's
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United at Hillsborough on Saturday; Sam Long seals all three points to inch Gary Rowett's U's closer to safety.
Saturday 12 April 2025 18:42, UK
Oxford took a big step towards Championship safety as they beat Sheffield Wednesday 1-0, with protests against Owls chairman Dejphon Chansiri continuing at Hillsborough.
A number of Wednesday fans turned their back on the pitch and chanted for Chansiri to sell in the 10th minute in protest at his running of the club.
Sam Long's 79th-minute header was enough to secure the win and take Oxford six points clear of the relegation zone with four games remaining.
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The first shot at goal came from the visitors, with former Owls midfielder Will Vaulks hitting the target but goalkeeper Pierce Charles made a good stop.
At the other end, Djeidi Gassama ran at the Oxford defence and struck a low driven shot at goal but Jamie Cumming got down well to save.
Oxford went close to an opener when skipper Cameron Brannagan fired just wide of Charles' right-hand upright.
Anthony Musaba had Wednesday's best chance of the half when he met Yan Valery's cross at the back post but his volley went over the bar.
Musaba went close again when he skipped past several attempted challenges before pulling the trigger from 20 yards but the ball curled wide of the far post.
Oxford had a sight of goal after a neat move as Long made the run and found space on the right but his cutback was struck way over by Tom Bradshaw.
Charles was in action again, saving Tyler Goodrham's powerful strike from the edge of the box, before Brannagan hit the rebound over the bar in the last chance of the half.
Substitute Svante Ingelsson found himself in space in the U's penalty area but he blazed his effort wildly over the bar.
Oxford dominated the rest of the second half with plenty of possession in the final third.
Ben Nelson got on the end of a cross from the right and Charles made a superb save at full stretch.
The visitors got the goal their pressure deserved when Vaulks' long throw was flicked on at the near post and defender Long was there to nod in.
The managers
Sheffield Wednesday's Danny Rohl:
"We tried our best today. We had some good moments but sometimes it's hard when you're playing for nothing.
"It's frustrating to concede from another set-piece. It hurts and it makes me angry to lose 1-0 at home again and again.
"It is tough at the moment for the group and for me but this is football. When we win we celebrate together and so in the games we lose we have to suffer as a group together.
"We are still creating chances but we have to be more clinical. I don't make excuses. This is my job and in the end we have lost again and we have to ask ourselves why."
Oxford's Gary Rowett:
"This is a big result in a tough game for us. It felt like it was a game with a bit more pressure on it after losing to QPR.
"We know our away form hasn't been good enough so it's great for us to get a win at this stage of the season.
"Wednesday started the game better but we grew into the half without taking our opportunities. The game swung in both sides' favour and it could've gone either way.
"I think with our positions in the table it just felt like a win was a little bit more important to us than Sheffield Wednesday today.
"I have sympathy for Wednesday, it's difficult for them with the situation they've been in off the pitch recently.
"I would've probably settled for a point but I thought there was something there for us to get all three which is why we rolled the dice with the substitutions in the second half."
