Sheffield Wednesday caretaker boss Neil Thompson challenged his misfiring attackers to find the goals to keep the Owls up after a 2-0 defeat at Coventry deepened their relegation worries.
Second-half goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Jamie Allen extended Wednesday’s winless away run to nine games and they remain six points from safety in 23rd place in the Championship.
Leading marksman Callum Paterson started on the bench, with Jordan Rhodes not yet back from injury and the Owls registered just one shot on target, a Matt Penney rocket that was saved by Ben Wilson.
Thompson said the Owls – the division’s lowest scorers with 15 goals in 24 games – are looking for reinforcements before the transfer window closes but may have to find answers from within.
He added: “We haven’t scored enough goals all season, home or away, that’s the reason we’re where we are. We just didn’t penetrate Coventry enough and create enough chances.
“We’ve got six strikers and trying to find the right permutation is difficult. They’ve all got to keep focused. We need to win games, it’s as simple as that.
“We had probably as experienced a team as we could have out tonight and I thought we showed some decent play at times.
“But we are just lacking that little bit of je ne sais quoi in the last third that is going to open teams up.
“We had one or two opportunities and then we’ve got to keep the back door shut and we didn’t do that.
“I said at half-time that the team who makes the least mistakes will go on and win the game and we just made one or two which cost us.”
Coventry boss Mark Robins, meanwhile, was delighted as his injury-hit squad moved six points clear of danger, with Callum O’Hare through balls setting up Brighton loanee Gyokeres and Allen.
Robins said: “It was a big win – with all the injuries we’ve got this almost feels like a makeshift group but they’re not.
“It’s a fantastic win and a really good performance because we dug in, scrappy as anything we’ve seen all season but that’s the Championship.
“This time of year, these circumstances, it’s going to be tough, it’s going to be a fight.
“That was the biggest thing for us – it was about outrunning them and outfighting them before any quality comes in.
“We said at half-time it looks like a set-play but any bits of quality might just undo them and that’s what happened.
“We spoke about movement and Viktor’s goal was really well-taken – great run, great movement, great pass. Callum’s shown some quality for both of the goals.
“Tonight was about fight, scrap and determination and we showed that in abundance – and that’s what we have to do between now and the end of the season.”
