Laws - who has recovered from the low point of a Hillsborough defeat to his former club - can expect to walk into plenty of flak back at Glanford Park tomorrow but his team aim to return it with interest on their manager's behalf.

"The gaffer wants to win this one and we want to do it for him," said goalkeeper Lee Grant.

Not that Wednesday are short of incentives after finally edging out of the bottom three with a potentially crucial late equaliser against Coventry in midweek.

And with or without the Laws factor, players see the short trip to "sunny Scunny" as a chance to put some daylight between themselves and their relegation rivals.

"There are certain games where you would settle for a point, but this isn't one of them," insisted Grant, even though the pressure is arguably off a Scunthorpe side for whom relegation back to League One is almost a formality.

"Teams who are nearly down sometimes produce some shock results - hopefully this isn't one of those. Three points has to be our aim."

As it was on Tuesday when Coventry's late lead - against the run of play - cast an ominous gloom over Hillsborough. Just how important Richard Wood's headed goal in stoppage time will prove to be remains to be seen but the change of mood it created was worth more than a point.

Grant admitted: "We'd have been disappointed even to draw 0-0 so things were looking very bleak at that stage. It felt like a win when the goal went in, but to say we'd have settled for point would be foolish. There was no celebration in the dressing room afterwards. Our minds were back on the job."

The way players piled on top of the scorer told a different story - but the relief wasn't enough to stem the tears of makeshift right back Jermaine Johnson whose excellent evening's week seemed to have been destroyed by the error that had led to Coventry's goal.

"He was really upset," said Grant. "It's difficult for a midfielder to step into that role. He can make a mistake on the wing and get away with it. In the penalty area, you get punished. That will have been an eye-opener for JJ, but he was fantastic for the rest of the game and he's a strong character."

Quite a few dependable performers are emerging in this Wednesday side, beaten only once in 10 games. Skipper Wood looks a natural leader having set high personal standards that are consistently matched by outstanding youngsters Mark Beevers and Tommy Spurr.

Unusually, the Owls are a team who can keep the back door shut - but can they pick the lock at the other end? Strikers Deon Burton and Ben Sahar seldom looked like scoring in midweek, but the supply was most in question despite the eyecatching skill and pace of Franck Songo'o.

"We couldn't seem to pick the final ball," said Grant, observing from the back. "The gaffer spoke about it at half-time. We had enough possession to have caused some damage."

The keeper himself - contributing important saves in both halves - is beyond reproach on current form. "It was nice to be able to keep us in the game," said Grant, now firmly established after a shaky start at Hillsborough.

"First and foremost, I'm pleased with the run of games I've had and the consistency I've found. Earlier in my career my form was up and down. I've drawn confidence from the manager picking me and found a bit of maturity from growing up. Now, at 25, I feel I've got 10 years to reach my peak."

No news could be good news on the takeover front. At least it is keeping attention fully focused where it should be right now - on the field.

But Wednesday aren't entirely free of distractions following the oversight that saw them break Football League rules on the use of loan players against Stoke last week. Crucially, however, the Owls did not exceed the number allowed actually on the field - four - and for that reason their hard-earned point is almost certainly safe with only a fine expected.