‘We’ll keep fighting’ – Jamie Smith says Owls still believe they can stay up

Sheffield Wednesday assistant manager Jamie Smith insisted his side still believe they can avoid relegation despite a 4-1 defeat at QPR.

Owls boss Darren Moore was not at the game as he is self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19.

Moore faces a huge task in trying to keep the Owls in the Sky Bet Championship. They are seven points adrift of safety with just six matches left to play.

Asked if the players still feel they can stay up, Smith said: “Yes. We’ve got no choice. We’ll come in tomorrow, watch the match back, learn from it, reflect on it and go again.

“We’ll fight for all 18 points that are left available. That’s our mentality.

“It is a big blow, but we don’t get too high with wins or too low with losses. We’ll just keep fighting and going for every point we can.”

Wednesday were desperately hoping to build on their recent stunning 5-0 thrashing of Cardiff.

Josh Windass hauled them level after Lyndon Dykes’ opener but a mistake by keeper Joe Wildsmith led to QPR regaining the lead shortly after half-time.

Wildsmith allowed Stefan Johansen’s deflected shot to squirm past him before Dykes’ second goal of the match and Chris Willock’s cool late finish sealed a resounding win for Rangers.

Smith admitted that Wildsmith’s error was a huge blow.

He said: “From our point of view it wasn’t great. We could have defended better. But credit to QPR, they were very clinical.

“We were positive, on the front foot, and we had a lot of the ball in the final third but couldn’t get that final touch to finish them off.

“On a different day maybe we’d put three or four away and it’s a different game.

“It’s frustrating, but it’s good that we’re getting into those positions. I’d probably be more disappointed if we weren’t getting into those positions.”

QPR manager Mark Warburton praised striker Dykes, who has now scored four goals in as many appearances.

Prior to that the Scotland international, signed from Livingston last summer, had scored just once from open play for the R’s.

“Lyndon deserves so much credit. He’s worked hard,” Warburton said.

“He had that barren spell but he’s come through that and he’s never stopped working.

“Today you saw his movement, his control and of course getting the two goals.

“My only criticism: go and get your hat-trick. Be a bit more selfish and get your three goals. But he deserves enormous credit.”

Rangers struggled during the first half of the campaign but are now up to 11th in the table.

Johansen and fellow loanee Charlie Austin, who missed the game through suspension, have helped inspire the turnaround.

“The players have had to keep working hard every day,” Warburton said.

“I hear people say that I’ve implemented my philosophy. But it doesn’t come in a week or a month. It takes time and the players have got to understand it.

“They deserve credit. They’ve worked hard on the training pitch. They went through a painful period but they had to maintain belief in how we wanted to play.

“I think you’re seeing that now. The loan players have helped and the squad as a whole deserves credit and now we’ve got to keep pushing on.

“Hopefully we can take good belief from this season into next year.”