Report | Sheffield Wednesday 0 Swansea City 0
Swansea City claimed a fourth clean sheet of the season as they picked up a point against Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.
In a game of few clear chances, the Swans struck the post through Jay Fulton early on, while Ronald was unable to convert their best chance of the second period.
Wednesday also struck the woodwork through Pol Valentin on a night where Lawrence Vigouroux did not have a save of serious note to make.
With this being the second game of a three-game week, head coach Luke Williams made a number of changes and saw a number of players pick up valuable game time.
The Swans had shown five alterations from the defeat at Blackburn as Kyle Naughton, Fulton, Zan Vipotnik, Myles Peart-Harris and Azeem Abdulai came into the starting XI.
Josh Key, Goncalo Franco, Florian Bianchini, Liam Cullen and Ollie Cooper dropped to the bench.
The hosts, meanwhile, showed two changes from their loss to Burnley as former Swan Jamal Lowe and Svante Ingelsson came in for Olaf Kobacki and Iko Ugbo.
Wednesday made the brighter start, with Lowe twice tricking his way into the Swansea area without being able to deliver with any real quality.
Swansea responded, Abdulai’s ferocious cross was parried by James Beadle and the hosts did not clear their lines. Ronald walloped another ball into the box and it struck Fulton and bobbled onto the post.
At the other end, Marvin Johnson sent an inviting ball across the Swansea six-yard box, but there were no blue and white shirts on hand to turn the ball.
And the hosts were left with their head in their hands when Ingelsson fired well wide when a cutback to the edge of the box had perfectly picked out his run into the area.
Harry Darling nearly picked out Ronald with a slide-rule pass, but Di’Shon Bernard was alert to cut out the danger.
Ronald was involved again when Naughton and Matt Grimes gave him room to beat Barry Bannan and feed Peart-Harris, but the loan man’s cross was cut out.
Ingelsson headed against Darling from a Wednesday breakout and Fulton volleyed wide from Peart-Harris ball.
Lowe fired well wide as the game neared half-time with the sides still goalless, and he was off target again early in the second after driving forward and slipping as he got his shot away in the area.
It then required superb covering from Josh Tymon to prevent Djeidi Gassama tapping in at the back post after Lowe had caused problems again with his direct running.
Tymon was soon involved at the opposite end of the pitch, sending a rising volley over the bar after the home side had failed to fully clear a Swansea corner.
Swansea had a great chance on the hour when Viptonik sent Abdulai into space, and his intelligent pass picked out Ronald, but the winger’s shot was blocked by the advancing Beadle.
Substitute Ike Ugbo glanced a header wide for the Owls from Bannan’s drifted delivery, before it was Wednesday’s turn to strike the woodwork when Pol Valentin arrived to meet a low ball to the far post from Johnson.
Grimes saw a volley deflected wide in stoppage time as it ended with the spoils shared in south Yorkshire.
Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Kyle Naughton (Josh Key 62), Ben Cabango, Harry Darling, Josh Tymon; Matt Grimes (captain), Jay Fulton (Joe Allen 74), Myles Peart-Harris; Ronald, Azeem Abdulai (Ollie Cooper 86), Zan Vipotnik (Liam Cullen 86).
Unused Substitutes: Jon McLaughlin, Goncalo Franco, Florian Bianchini, Nathan Tjoe-A-On, Nelson Abbey.
Sheffield Wednesday: James Beadle, Di'Shon Bernard, Svante Ingelsson (Josh Windass 62), Jamal Lowe (Ike Ugbo 62), Barry Bannan (captain), Pol Valentin (Liam Palmer 74), Marvin Johnson, Akin Famewo, Yan Valery, Djeidi Gassama (Olaf Kobacki 74), Shea Charles (Callum Paterson 88).
Unused Substitutes: Pierce Charles, Max Lowe, Dominic Iorfa, Michael Smith.
Referee: Matthew Donohue
Attendance: 22,452