Derby County missed out on the chance to reclaim their place in the Championship's top two after being held to a bland goalless draw by Sheffield Wednesday.
Chances were kept to a minimum across the 90 minutes, with the best opening falling the way of Bradley Johnson late on when his indirect free kick inside the box came back off the crossbar.
The point takes Derby to within two of second-place Middlesbrough, while opponents Wednesday remain outside of the playoff zone on goal difference alone.
Relive the 90 minutes of action with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
12.45pmHello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Championship clash between Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County at Hillsborough. The final game of matchday 19 in the second tier comes from South Yorkshire, as the Rams look to reclaim their spot back in the automatic promotion zone.
12.47pmOpponents Wednesday will have different ideas, however, particularly after seeing their League Cup dreams come to an end earlier this week. The Owls can now fully concentrate on sealing their place back in the top flight after a 15-year absence, but they face arguably their toughest test yet this afternoon.
12.49pmBoth sides have had to sit back and watch those sides around them compete over the past few days, and in truth the results have been pretty mixed. The bottom line is clear for both, however, as Derby need a two-goal win to draw level on points with Middlesbrough in second place, while a single point will take Wednesday level with Cardiff City in sixth.
12.50pmMaximum points will be on the mind of both managers, then, in what should be an entertaining lunchtime affair in the Championship. The team news was released a short while ago, so let's delve straight into things by checking out how the two sides line up for this one.
12.52pmTEAM NEWS!
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY XI: Westwood, Palmer, Loovens, Hutchinson, Pudil, Wallace, Lee, Lopez, Bannan, Forestieri, Joao
DERBY COUNTY XI: Grant, Christie, Keogh, Martin, Shackell, Johnson, Butterfield, Ince, Weimann, Thorne, Warnock
12.54pmCarlos Carvalhal has made five changes to his side from last time out, with Keiren Westwood, Liam Palmer, Barry Bannan, Alex Lopez and Fernando Forestieri all being integrated back into the first-team fold. To add to their cup heartbreak in midweek, Tom Lees left the stadium on crutches, while Glenn Loovens and Jack Hunt also picked up injuries in the 2-0 reverse.
12.56pmLoovens has managed to shake off his injury problem, however, to be partnered in defence by Hutchinson. Forestieri was forced to sit out the Britannia Stadium loss due to his ineligibility, but Wednesday supporters will be delighted to see him back in attack along with Lucas Joao this afternoon.
12.58pmIn terms of the visitors, manager Paul Clement's biggest decision was always going to come in midfield. Bradley Johnson has been superb since his summer move from Norwich City, yet with him absent for the 2-0 victory over Hull City last weekend, the ex-Real Madrid chief may have been tempted to keep things the same on the back of that fine win.
1.00pmJohnson does indeed start, fielded alongside Jacob Butterfield - the star performer from that victory at the KC Stadium. Jeff Hendrick, as expected, is the man to make way after being brought into the fold in place of Johnson last weekend. The other big news is that Scott Carson misses out in goals due to a knock, being replaced by Lee Grant for this one.
1.02pmSo Sheffield Wednesday know that they can claim a place in the top six outright with a win here this afternoon, which would set up a thrilling match in South Wales next weekend when they face Cardiff City. The top five spots are seemingly drifting out of sight for the chasing pack, meaning an almighty scramble for that final playoff berth.
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1.04pmOne good aspect of crashing out of the League Cup at the quarter-final stage a few days ago is that Wednesday can now fully focus on their league aspirations for the time being, with this their most promising start to a campaign at this level in a long time. One win in four is hardly the finest form to find themselves in, though, so the Owls know that momentum needs to be found once more.
1.06pmWednesday are not the only side to have dropped points in recent weeks, so their top-six aspirations are certainly still on track. The two late goals against Huddersfield Town recently, as well as Joao's late strike at Blackburn Rovers last time out, also goes a long way to showing the character in this side to fight right until the end of games.
1.08pmDID YOU KNOW? Wednesday's current run of six games without defeat at Hillsborough is their best since August 2012, when they had just secured promotion back into the second tier. Incredibly, it has now been 15 years since the Owls last contested top-flight football at this historic ground.
1.10pmVisitors Derby have their sights set on the top two, meanwhile, having slipped from their position at the top of the table since they last played nine days ago. The 2-0 win at Hull City really was a fine team performance against one of their fellow promotion favourites, but now they must keep their run going in order to keep afloat at the top end.
1.12pmWhen you look at County's form, which shows just one defeat in 13 outings - 10 of which have been victories - it may seem a little surprising to see them five points off the summit. That can be put down to their slow start to the season, however, after taking six games to pick up their first league win under the management of Paul Clement.
1.14pmDerby are in the midst of a tough run of games, already seeing off top-six hopefuls Cardiff and Hull, while Brighton and Boro away after today's difficult match. This strong run of form has very much been built on a solid defensive unit, having kept four clean sheets in their last five en route to topping the away form table. At this moment in time, the Rams really are the best team in the division - regardless of what the table says.
1 minKICKOFF! Sheffield Wednesday get us underway at Hillsborough. A real nice feel to to this contest in South Yorkshire, between two sides looking to claim all three points.
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3 minA sweeping Wednesday move ends with Palmer, in at right-back this afternoon, getting an early cross into the box for Derby to clear. Promising start from the hosts, who are looking to take the game to their opponents.
5 minWeimann lofts the ball over Westwood into the back of the net, but the offside flag had already been raised. Looked to be a tight call initially, which ultimately went in Wednesday's favour. A Derby set piece is then cleared to safety as momentum starts to swing the Rams' way.
7 minDerby just trying to find their stride at the moment as they look to pass the ball around. Wednesday happy to sit back a little and soak up some pressure before potentially springing a counter.
9 minAnother good Wednesday move down the right, which sees Palmer swing in a real dangerous cross into Joao's direction. The striker couldn't quite get on the end of it, though, and the ball ran straight through the area.
11 minForestieri steals the ball off Thorne, forcing Butterfield to have a little pull on the attacker. No booking for the Derby man, but a little reminder for the visitors that they cannot ponder in possession in their own half.
13 minCounty struggling to really get out of their own half at the moment. No chances created by Wednesday as such, yet they are the side currently on top with 13 minutes played in Yorkshire.
15 minIncidentally, Wednesday have failed to find the net in four of their last five home meetings with Derby. The Rams are actually unbeaten in 12 against their opponents in all competitions, too, winning eight and drawing four of those games.
17 minSAVE! We have our first shot of the afternoon, and it has provided a fine save from Grant between the Derby sticks. Wallace unleashed a fine volleyed attempt from 25 yards out, which was dipping into the top corner if not for the stand-in keeper's intervention to help it over.
19 minA prolonged spell of Derby possession culminates in Martin squaring the ball into a central position, but it didn't quite have the pace required to find a teammate. Still just the one shot so far, which former Wednesday keeper Grant did well to keep out.
21 minJust a lack of any real urgency at the moment, which is so often the case in these matches between the top sides in the Championship. A goal changes that more times than not, so let's hope for an opener prior to the break.
23 minYELLOW CARD! Thorne with a nasty challenge on Forestieri leads to the first caution of the afternoon. The Italian looks as though he will be okay to continue, but that was a challenge that belies the tone of this game. Butterfield also cautioned for dissent.
25 minThe second shot of the afternoon comes via the boot of Bannan, who blasts one well over the bar. Not been the greatest of games from a neutral perspective so far - plenty of time for that to change, of course.
27 minDerby edged a five-goal thriller the last time the two sides met here. Wednesday have failed to score in four of their last five home meetings with the Rams, though.
YOUTUBE: #DCFC were 3-2 winners at the #iProStadium when they last faced @swfc - see all the goals on @YouTube: https://t.co/iFpjaIKY1c
— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) December 6, 201529 minAn almost identical effort to Bannan's attempt a few minutes ago, as Forestieri blasts high into the stands. Wednesday finding a little space in those pockets around the opposition box, which certainly provides some hope for home supporters.
31 minYELLOW CARD! Little surprise to see Lopez booked for his follow-through challenge on Johnson. Derby's players were left unhappy with that foul, but the referee did well to calm the situation down.
33 minSome really good pressing from the visitors high up the pitch, which Wednesday just about deal with thanks to the calmness of Loovens. Been a quiet opening half-hour to this match for the Owls' backline, with that first goal still no closer to arriving.
35 minJoao goes down right on the edge of the box under a challenge from Keogh, but there was very little in it. The home cries for a penalty were a little muted, to be fair. Up the other end, Martin headed well wide from his first attempt of the match.
37 minPlenty of challenges flying in at the moment, the latest of which has seen Wallace pick up an ankle injury that has caused a bit of concern. Neither side yet to create any real chances of note, with just that one Wallace strike a little earlier by the way of attempts on target.
39 minWallace is back on the field of play and seemingly fit enough to continue. Six minutes of the half left to play, and in truth it has been hugely underwhelming so far. Martin almost got in behind for the first time a few minutes ago, only for a slack first touch to allow Pudil to rescue the ball back.
41 minLee gets in a very promising position on the left, but he is unable to pick out a teammate with his pullback. Good spell for Wednesday, this - can they make it count prior to the half-time interval?
43 minThere is no question that Derby's defenders have been the busier so far, but Wednesday have failed to make the most of some decent spells. The Rams holding on a little at the moment, perhaps hoping that the half-time whistle comes sooner rather than later.
45 minLee again gets in behind, yet he failed to make any real connection on a ball over the top and simply helped it out of play rather than directing it towards goal. Carvalhal will be the happier of the two managers, with just seconds remaining of this first half.
45+1 minWeimann unlucky to find himself clean through on goal after latching on to a Martin flick-on, as Hutchinson got across well to get to the ball ahead of the Derby forward.
45+2 minHALF TIME: SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 0-0 DERBY COUNTY
2.06pmA goalless opening 45 minutes at Hillsborough in a half containing very few chances. No chances at all, in fact, with just the one shot on goal so far.
2.09pmThat arrived around 17 minutes in when Wallace unleashed a fine strike from 25 yards out which forced an equally decent save out of former Wednesday keeper Grant. Other than that, we have seen a few wayward efforts but a lack of clear-cut opening in the final third of the field.
2.12pmThree yellow card have been handed out already, with the challenges flying in throughout the first half. That is probably the biggest talking point at the interval, as Thorne lunged in on Forestieri to earn a caution when a red may have been shown. The referee probably just about made the right call in the end.
2.15pmCarlos Carvalhal will be the happier of the two managers at the break following his side's strong end to the opening 45 minutes. Plenty of options to call upon from the bench for both, but will we see any alterations at the start of this second half?
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY SUBS: Wildsmith, Semedo, Nuhiu, McGugan, Hooper, Wiggins, Sougou
DERBY COUNTY SUBS: Mitchell, Baird, Hendrick, Bent, Russell, Pearce, Shotton
2.18pmThe two sets of players are now back out on the field of play. Fingers crossed for a more entertaining second half in South Yorkshire!
HT: It's @swfc 0-0 @dcfcofficial at the break. Positive first half for the Owls but it remains goalless #swfcLIVE pic.twitter.com/yDzokU1JTJ
— Sheffield Wednesday (@swfc) December 6, 201546 minRESTART! Loovens was a little late coming out for the second half due to a 'toilet break'. No changes made by either manager at the interval, so it's as you were.
48 minWarnock takes a big blow to the stomach which leaves him winded. The full-back was also sick on the sidelines, so he is clearly more than a little shaken up by that. A couple of replacements now warming up.
50 minCLOSE! After some treatment Warnock is now feeling well enough to continue. Back to full strength, Wednesday had to defend a free kick into the box which provided the visitors' best chance of the match so far. A couple of blue and white shirts missed the ball but it was well read by Johnson, who headed narrowly over the bar.
52 minYELLOW CARD! Unlike in the first half, Derby have been on top so far and earn themselves another free kick in a promising position. Hutchinson was the guilty party, earning himself a whopping 11th booking of the season, but Martin couldn't add further punishment when curling a free kick over the bar.
54 minA solid 10-minute period of possession for the Rams, who have still yet to test Westwood. Wednesday need to find some momentum of their own once again after emerging a little sluggish for this second half.
56 minCLOSE! The Owls' best play of the match so far culminates in Joao's shot inside the box being blocked nicely to Pudil to strike first time, but his left-sided effort flew narrowly wide of the far post.
58 minJohnson and Wallace just sharing a few words after the latter clattered into his opponent. Probably worthy of a yellow, that, in a game that has had a little edge to it ever since Thorne picked up a booking a quarter of the way through.
60 minDerby have been on the back foot for the last few minutes, with Wednesday getting numerous crosses into the box. The Owls are seeing plenty of the ball in and around the opposition box, without being able to test Grant in goals.
62 minDERBY COUNTY SUBS! Paul Clement decides to make a double chance just after the hour, bringing on Russell and Baird for Ince and Warnock. The latter never truly recovered from that heavy challenge at the start of the half.
64 minJohnson latches on to a loose pass, before Loovens wins the ball back for his side. Wednesday really need to make their dominance count or else they could be stung by a real sucker punch in the remaining 25 minutes.
66 minStill no way through for either of these sides, as we enter the final 25 minutes of the match. Wednesday are currently edging things without being able to test Grant.
IMAGES: @cyruschristie & @RealThomasInce battle for the ball during #SWFCvDCFC pic.twitter.com/ywUGBnifRP
— Derby County (@dcfcofficial) December 6, 201568 minSAVE! A first save of the afternoon for Westwood, who got across to keep out Johnson's long-range drive. The ball was worked well to the Derby midfielder, and he was never going to decline the chance to get a rare shot away.
70 minYELLOW CARD! Pudil is caught out of position after a burst forward and is forced to wipe out Butterfield. Five bookings now in the opening three quarters of this goalless affair.
72 minThis second half started off promising enough, and it has certainly still been better than the first, but this is not the greatest advert for Championship football in fairness. Derby sitting back a little more than I thought they would.
74 minPossession is balanced at 50-50 at the moment, which underlines how balance the game has been on the whole. Wednesday look to turn defence into attack through Pudil's searching pass, which is well cut out in midfield.
76 minSUBS! Gary Hooper replaces Lucas Joao for the home side, while the Rams' final changes sees Darren Bent on for Andreas Weimann. Paul Clement may look to shuffle things around now for the final quarter of the match.
78 minThe ball so very nearly falls nicely for Hooper inside the box, but a touch goes against him and Derby are able to thwart the danger. The latest batch of changes will hopefully bring some fresh attacking impetus.
80 minWe've seen a fair few long shots this afternoon, which is looking the best bet for an opening goal. Wallace again tries his luck, firing in a swerving effort that dips narrowly over the bar.
82 minOFF THE BAR! Derby are awarded an indirect free kick 15 yards from goal after a Loovens back-pass was collected by Westwood. Johnson was the man who was waiting to put his foot through the ball, sending his effort against the crossbar with a real belter. Closest we have come to a goal by quite some distance.
84 minCHANCE! That near miss from Johnson has not really been used as a platform to push on by Derby, as Wednesday get forward and earn a free kick right on the corner flag. The cross in is near perfect, with Loovens getting his head to the ball first ahead of Shackell but somehow nodding wide from less than 10 yards out.
86 minBent is played through on goal with a real peach of a pass from Thorne, but he was well offside and his strike hitting the back of the net counted for nothing. The last 10 minutes or so suggest that we could still have a late twist at Hillsborough.
88 minI take back that previous comment - all very stale again once more in South Yorkshire. Think both sides are pretty much resigned to taking a point now, which has been the case for large parts of the match,
90 minThe ball falls to Thorne close to 30 yards from goal, with the midfielder's strike swerving away from goal rather than towards it. That could very well be the last attempt we see this afternoon, with just a few minutes of added time to come.
90+1 minA weak Grant clearance is picked up in midfield by Wednesday, but the lack of momentum to their play costs them the chance of mounting a late attack.
90+2 minYELLOW CARD! Forestieri is the latest player to be issued a yellow card. Not seen enough from the influential attacking player this afternoon.
90+3 minBent and Martin link up very well in the opposition box but, not for the first time today, the offside flag goes against Derby. The shot from Martin flashed wide, regardless.
90+4 minFULL TIME: SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY 0-0 DERBY COUNTY
3.09pmLet's not gloss over it - that was a pretty bland game of football. Both sides will be happy enough with the point, although the chance to achieve their respective targets passes both of them by. Wednesday remain outside of the playoff zone on goal difference, while Derby are now two points behind second-place Middlesbrough.
3.11pmGrant and Westwood had one big save to make each across the 90 minutes, but the closest we came to a breakthrough arrived inside the final 10 minutes when Johnson smashed a free kick from inside the box - given after a Loovens back-pass - back off the crossbar.
3.13pmThat concludes Sports Mole's live coverage from this afternoon's match at Hillsborough, but if you're after more text commentary then click here to follow build-up of Newcastle United's meeting with Liverpool in the Premier League.
