Sheffield Wednesday picked up what could prove to be a vital point in the battle to beat the drop after a 0-0 stalemate at the Liberty Stadium.

The Owls battled well and frustrated Swansea throughout and could have even snatched all three points, had Leon Clarke connected with Luke Varney's fizzed cross midway through the second half.

Wednesday manager Alan Irvine kept faith with the same side that started at West Brom on Tuesday night with Marcus Tudgay returning to the bench.

The Owls were aiming to break down a Swansea side that boasted the best defensive record in the league prior to the game, but it was the hosts that mustered the first attempt on goal. David Cotterill's speculative effort from distance was comfortably dealt with by Lee Grant.

Then moments later Clarke tried his luck from a similar distance, but the ball looped safely into the hands of Dorus de Vries in the Swansea goal.

It was a cagey start to the contest, as Swansea knocked numerous long balls towards the frame of frontman Craig Beattie, which Darren Purse and Mark Beevers comfortably dealt with.

Jermaine Johnson was yet again the bright spark for Wednesday. The Jamaican went close on the half hour mark when his right footed volley from all of 30 yards looped on to the roof of de Vries' net.

Swansea's Portuguese manager Paulo Sousa was clearly frustrated with his side's first half performance and made a double substitution at half time, throwing on Cedric van der Gun and ex-Owls striker Shefki Kuqi.

And it nearly paid off just minutes into the second period when Darren Pratley dug out a cross in the channel and found Kuqi, but he failed to find the target from the edge of the area.

Wednesday then responded in a positive manner. Clarke was just inches away from connecting with Luke Varney's drilled cross after some persistent work from the loan man.

On the hour mark the hosts created their best chance of the game. Dutch substitute van der Gun wriggled away from Tommy Spurr before standing up a perfect cross for Pratley, who could only head over Grant's goal from inside the area.

As Wednesday pushed men forward to snatch a crucial goal, Swansea hit on the break. Cotterill raced away down the left flank from inside his own half before bending a shot from the edge of the area which Grant scrambled away.

Tommy Miller then saw a goal-bound drive blocked at the crucial moment as the game began to open up.

Grant was then forced into a top-drawer save when he threw himself at the feet of Kuqi to deny the Finnish striker from close range after he had escaped the attentions of the Wednesday defence.

Ashley Williams headed narrowly wide and Clarke almost won it for the Owls in stoppage time, but there was to be no late drama as Wednesday came away from South Wales with a deserved point.

Swansea: de Vries, Williams, Tate, Britton, Pratley, Beattie (Kuqi 46), Rangel, Gower, Butler (van der Gun 46), Richards, Cotterill (Trundle 77)

Unused substitutes: Cornell, Bauza, Dyer, Lucas

Owls: Grant, Nolan, Purse, Beevers, Spurr, Miller, Potter, O'Connor, Johnson, Varney (Tudgay 71), Clarke

Unused substitutes: O'Donnell, Hinds, Simek, Soares, Gray, Esajas

Referee: R Booth

Attendance: 14,167