Sheffield Wednesday boosted their hopes of achieving survival in the Championship yesterday as they secured a vital 1-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers.

A first-half strike from Josh Windass proved to be the winner for the Owls who are now only four points adrift of safety due to Derby County's 3-0 defeat to Preston North End.

Set to face the Rams on the final day of the season, Wednesday will be hoping to reduce Wayne Rooney's side's advantage this weekend when they play Middlesbrough.

Having been directly involved in three goals in his last four appearances, Windass ought to brimming with confidence heading into the club's showdown with the Smoggies.

Particularly impressive against Blackburn on Tuesday, the 27-year-old recorded a WhoScored rating of 7.61 as he completed 82.8% of his passes and registered five shots.

Wednesday's top-scorer this season in all competitions, it wouldn't be at all surprising if Windass reaches double figures in terms of goals in Saturday's showdown with Middlesbrough given the standard of his recent displays.

Making reference to the attacking midfielder's latest performance for the Owls, Sky Sports pundit Sue Smith lauded him for making a decisive impact at Hillsborough.

Speaking on Gillette Soccer Special (as cited by YorkshireLive) about Windass, the 41-year-old said: "He played well.

"He's just a constant runner and a constant threat.

"He deserved his goal, he played well tonight and he played well at the weekend [against Bristol City].

"It was a deserved three points for Sheffield Wednesday."

GIVEMESPORT's Joshua Cole says...

Windass has hit form at the right time for Wednesday who need their players to step up to the mark at this pivotal stage of the season.

With just three games left to play, the Owls realistically have to pick up nine points from these fixtures if they are to have any chance of achieving survival.

Providing that Windass and his team-mates are able to use the confidence gained from the club's victory over Blackburn to push on in the coming weeks, there is no reason why they cannot put Derby under a considerable amount of pressure.

However, a failure to deliver the goods will see the Owls drop into League One for only the third-time in their history.

Given that Windass has illustrated this season that he is more than capable of thriving at Championship level having provided 14 direct goal contributions in this division, Wednesday could struggle to keep him at Hillsborough during the summer transfer window if they do indeed suffer relegation.