Crystal clear update on influential Sheffield Wednesday pair taken off in Millwall win

A stubborn second half followed a clinical first period in which goals from Ike Ugbo and Anthony Musaba did the business to earn Wednesday their third away win of the campaign and go within four points of their hosts in the first safety spot.

But there were causes for concern in that standout pair Barry Bannan and Ian Poveda were both taken out of the clash late in the second half, Poveda hobbling and Bannan after a full-throttle tackle with Lions midfielder George Saville left him requiring treatment. Asked about these issues, Röhl smiled.

"I think Barry is OK," he said on the talismanic Scot who laid on a stunning assist ahead of Musaba's match-sealing strike. "We had the situation with the yellow cards, this is dangerous because he has nine at the moment but this is for me a step forward in the improvement. Before, he wanted to play every minute and he would try so much to come through the game. Now he is honest and will say that he is empty or he needs a break and this is fantastic, it shows his quality as a leader.

"My bench is always full, everybody wants to play and they are hungry to get some minutes. This is the right step, to trust each other. This is they key at the moment and now we have to go forward."

Poveda helped to open the game up after a sleepy first half-hour. He seemed to sustain a concern early on in the match, holding his hamstring after twisting out of one tackle, but continued to offer an eye-catching display cutting in from the right. Again, Röhl was delighted to offer encouraging news.

"Ian is fine," he said. "He feels it of course, when he arrived at Wednesday he was not playing so much and you can see now after 60 or 70 minutes we have to pay attention, but he is so helpful. He is always active with the ball, in the pockets he plays with small movements and this is always so difficult for opponents. It's great."