Sheffield Wednesday land top-half finish amid doubts over Danny Rohl future
Rohl – whose future has been in doubt after he was linked with Southampton, Leicester and RB Leipzig – had set his side the target of ending the season in the top half of the Championship for only the sixth time in 19 years.
A point was sufficient to achieve a 12th-placed finish while Watford saw out the campaign in 14th after ending a run of four successive defeats.
A run of just one win in eight games killed off any hopes the Hornets had of forcing their way into the play-offs.
They showed few signs of improving on their recent record as Wednesday took control of the opening stages.
The visitors should have taken the lead in the 10th minute when Windass – one of five players in the Wednesday line-up out of contract this summer – was presented with a clear opportunity following a misplaced pass from Watford forward Mamadou Doumbia.
The forward found himself with time and space in front of goal only to fire his shot over the bar.
Watford's response was limited to an attempted long-range lob by Imran Louza which was easily dealt with by Owls goalkeeper Pierce Charles.
It was the Owls who were rewarded for their early efforts when Windass made up for his previous miss by making the breakthrough in the 29th minute.
The goal came from a well-worked free-kick with Shea Charles delivering a cross towards the far post where Callum Paterson headed back across goal for Windass to finish from close range.
The shock of conceding appeared to spark Watford into life and Tom Cleverley's side came close to equalising when centre-back Mattie Pollock headed over from a Louza corner.
Louza was again the provider when Watford drew level in the first minute of added time.
The midfielder lofted a ball over the Wednesday defence and into the path of Sissoko, who took a touch before firing past Charles.
The home side carried on from where they left off at the start of the second half and it took an alert Charles to deny Doumbia the chance to add a second.
The Owls keeper was again called into action to keep out Edo Kayembe's powerful shot shortly after the midfielder had seen a deflected effort strike the outside of a post.
But the Hornets were unable to find a way through and it was Wednesday who almost carved out a late winner when Olaf Kobacki shot narrowly wide.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
30 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Beer shower after Brondby goal summed up Euro experience for Hibs boss
Scottish Cup winner's knack for scoring big goals prompted wild scenes Sign up to our Hibs football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... He can probably still taste the fine spray of Danish lager that came fizzing down from the away end at the Brondby Stadium. Even as someone who has scored the odd important goal in his career, this particularly moment of celebration stands out for David Gray. As the Hibs boss prepares to lead his team into Europa League second qualifying round action against mighty Midtjylland, a return to Denmark obviously prompts special memories for the former captain. Specifically, a night in July of 2016 that, despite ultimately ending in penalty shoot-out heartbreak, meant a great deal to everyone at the club. Not least the travelling fans. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad After a 1-0 defeat at Easter Road, those supporters travelled to the second leg with hope but little in the way expectation. But Gray's goal just after the hour mark levelled up the tie – also a Europa League second qualifying round contest, if you can believe it – and prompted glorious scenes among the Hibees on tour. John McGinn penalty miss cost Championship club dear So, sure, John McGinn may have been left lamenting 'my worst moment in football' after having his spot-kick saved in the shoot-out. But even that couldn't spoil the experience for Gray, whose knack for finding the net was largely responsible for Hibs – still in the Scottish Championship at the time – being involved in European football. The former captain, whose Scottish Cup-winning at goal at Hampden just a couple of months earlier delivered a UEFA bonus amid the mayhem, laughs as he recounts the tale of that night in the suburb to the west of Copenhagen. Even now, he can still remember some interesting details. 'I could taste the beer!' - Gray SNS Group 'Actually, scoring the goal was great,' said Gray. 'And it was just a brilliant day, the game. I thought we were fantastic in the game. I was fortunate enough to score the goal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I think someone threw a pint over me when that went in! I could taste that in my mouth, actually, when the fans were celebrating. The scenes after it were amazing. 'But I know a lot of people that went over to the game, and the fans all talked about the trip and how good the actual trip was. We went over there and won on the day. Clearly, we went to extra time and lost on penalties. 'But it shows the level that we can ... Well, at the time, Brondby were a top side and still are a top side in Denmark. So I think these are games that you want to look forward to. These are brilliant memories that I was very fortunate to be involved in. 'When you come to this football club, you've got an opportunity to try and play in Europe and that doesn't come for everybody. And I think you need to look forward to that.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Midtjylland are strong favourites to advance at the expense of a Hibs side who finished third in the Scottish Premiership last season, with the Danes having missed out on back-to-back league titles by just a single point. Gray is already on the hunt for intel on opponents who kick off their Danish Superliga campaign on July 20, at home to Odense Boldklub – Alasana Manneh's old team. 'Yeah I think their season starts slightly before ours, their first game anyway,' said Gray, grateful to have avoided a club from one of the Scandinavian competitions already well underway, the gaffer adding: 'So it's not as if they've been playing the summer leagues and they've played five or six competitive games already. 'They'll be gearing up towards that, but I think their first competitive game is the week before we play them over there. Clearly, we'll do as much work as we do with every opponent. Hibs players should relish Midtjylland Europa League challenge 'We'll do as much as we possibly can to make sure the players know exactly what they're going into, what they're going to face. We'll have a game plan in place to go over there. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Ultimately, the ambition is to get into the next round, and I think that's what, as I've already said to the players, they should relish. They should look forward to it, and it's a reward for such a good season last season that we want to keep this feel-good factor going. 'You can feel it already around the club, the fan base, everyone looking forward to it when the draw came out. So I think it's a real positive time at the football club and we want to keep that going. 'So yes, the work starts straight away as soon as you find out your opponent. Obviously, it'll be a really tough draw, but one we can really look forward to. It's the rewards. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'You're always going to get a difficult opponent because of the result of the cup final, meaning we were unseeded. This is the position we find ourselves in. 'But it's a brilliant one to look forward to. It's a really good trip for the fans as well, and it's a great opportunity to test yourself against a team that has qualified for the Champions League. I know they went quite far in the competition, dropping into the Europa League last year. 'They've missed out on winning the league by a point, I think, domestically. So it'll be a tough test, but one that the players should definitely look forward to - and one we'll be going into with confidence.'
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Meath edge past Galway in thriller to reach last four
Meath progressed to the last four of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship for the first time since 2009 with a 2-16 to 2-15 win over Galway in a slow-burn thriller at Croke Park on Sunday. More to follow.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Argyle's Baidoo joins Qatari side Umm Salal on loan
Plymouth Argyle midfielder Michael Baidoo has joined Qatari side Umm Salal on loan for the 2025-26 move comes less than six months after the Ghana midfielder, 26, became the Devon club's record January, Baidoo signed for Argyle from Swedish club Elfsborg, who he had represented in the Europa League earlier in the made 13 appearances, five of them starts, for Plymouth in the second half of last were relegated from the Championship at the end of the campaign and will start their League One season at home to Barnsley on 2 August.
