The Owls are back at Hillsborough after three matches on the road and manager Alan Irvine expects the next two home fixtures to be a difficult challenge.

Wednesday have back-to-back home games against Derby County and Watford and, despite three good displays out of base, Irvine insists performance levels have to remain high if the Owls are to pick up the points required for safety.

"These games are tough, there is no question about it," Irvine told Wednesday Player. "We can't take it for granted that because we've had good results and good performances away from home, that will mean we'll have a great performance and a great result at home - we have to work hard for that.

"We've done very well against certainly three top sides - we now need to make sure we capitalise on that by having the same kind of performance and hopefully some good results in the next couple of games at home."

Irvine was delighted with the character Wednesday demonstrated on the road against his former club Preston on Tuesday when they came from two goals down to draw 2-2.

He went on: "You need to keep going right until the final whistle because you've always got a chance of pulling something back. At 2-0, you're not out of the game, the next goal is vitally important.

"If you get it as we did against Preston, then it shows what you can do and we nearly went on to win the game. We need to have those kind of characteristics within the team from now until the end of the season."

Going into Saturday's clash against fellow strugglers Derby in S6, just four points separate the two sides, leaving plenty riding on the match.

Irvine added: "They are a team full of very experienced players and those who have played at a higher level. They've done very well since the turn of the year overall and it will be a good performance needed from us in order to get the right result.

"We still need five wins to make sure we are in this division next season, there is a lot of pressure but that should focus the minds more as well."