Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen spoke of his pride after the Owls held Championship table-toppers Coventry City to a goalless draw.
Middlesbrough were beaten by Portsmouth later in the day, meaning a victory would have booked Coventry’s place in the Premier League.
The Sky Blues were expected to brush aside the League One-bound Owls but could not break the South Yorkshire strugglers down.
Coventry enjoyed 69 per cent possession and registered 20 shots. Wednesday, on the other hand, did not manage a single shot on target.
Henrik Pedersen's Sheffield Wednesday denied Coventry City the chance to seal promotion.placeholder image
Henrik Pedersen's Sheffield Wednesday denied Coventry City the chance to seal promotion. | Jacob King/PA Wire
Henrik Pedersen’s pride
Pedersen said: “We knew to take something here today, it should be a top, top plus performance. But we also spoke about that we are coming here not just to be a part of the game, we go here with the belief that we can do it.
“We knew that there will be many phases without the ball, so our tactical game plan, and the discipline, and the togetherness would be a very important part.
“But we also knew that if we not only have to be a part of the game then we should be good in the offensive transition.
“How the boys worked through the whole game was amazing, not only how we competed but we also created some chances through the game which was really positive, and then of course you also need a little bit of luck to play a 0-0 at Coventry, but I’m really proud.
“The big picture, to come here and play with this confidence, this belief in our situation does make me proud.
“To go here and especially in the second half, we have had problems the last 15 minutes of many games, but how the connection stayed together, how they kept on fighting, how they kept with their chest high, big, big respect for this culture the boys showed on the pitch.”
Sheffield Wednesday shared the spoils with Coventry City.placeholder image
Sheffield Wednesday shared the spoils with Coventry City. | Jacob King/PA Wire
Frank Lampard’s view
Lampard, meanwhile, said: “When a team has nothing to gain, they also have nothing to lose. I think they’ve got a manager that’s very driven, trying to do his job as well as he possibly can, so they were always going to make it as difficult as they possibly could.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t get the breakthrough even with the possession, the crosses and the chances that we had.
“We normally score here, we normally win games here, so we have to keep a bit of perspective, but specifically for the players, because I know there’s a pressure and everyone wants to release the pressure.”