Wednesday posted a hard-fought 1-0 win over Fleetwood to strengthen their grip on an automatic promotion slot.

Marvin Johnson scored the only goal of a game where the points probably outweighed the performance as there was little to warm the hands on a freezing S6 afternoon.

Lee Gregory missed a stoppage time penalty but the Owls will take the positives as Fleetwood suffered a rare away defeat on the first occasion they have not scored on the road all season.

For Wednesday, the run of resistance continues - now 15 unbeaten - in tandem with the drive to secure Championship football next term.

The visitors, though, would doubtless have taken heart from a promising start to the contest as they stroked the ball around with confidence.

But there was a lack of cutting edge which Wednesday exposed 19 minutes in, making the crucial breakthrough with a classy team goal.

Liam Palmer motored through the middle, his defence-splitting pass down the right of the area found Josh Windass, who rolled across to the far post for Johnson to slam into an unguarded net.

Palmer and Windass then combined in almost identical style as Wednesday began to boss the ball but this time Gregory was inches off target with Jay Lynch beaten.

Lynch was called into action 10 minutes before the break, diving low to beat out a Dominic Iorfa hit and Fleetwood were on the back foot but regrouped for a second half that developed into more of an even affair.

Chances were few and far between – Windass threatened with a long range set piece and headed a Johnson cross just past the post.

At the other end, Cameron Dawson made a key save from Ged Garner with two minutes to go before the Owls had the chance to seal the points from the spot.

Gregory went darting down the middle, was upended by Lynch and the striker climbed to his feet only to smash the penalty over the crossbar.

But it mattered not as Johnson’s earlier strike gives Wednesday the incentive of reaching the League One summit with victory at Cheltenham on Tuesday.

Wednesday: Dawson, Hunt, Palmer, Iorfa, Famewo, Johnson, Vaulks, Adeniran (Bakinson 86), Windass (Dele-Bashiru 86), Gregory, Smith (Paterson 69)