Goal-shy Owls held at home

Sheffield Wednesday failed to score for the eighth Sky Bet Championship home game this season as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Birmingham.Jacques Maghoma had the best chance for the home side, who have now found the net just seven times in their 14 league matches at Hillsborough, while Blues winger David Cotterill went closest for Gary Rowett's resurgent side.Wednesday had the better of the opening exchanges and almost went ahead with the game's first meaningful attempt on goal in the 26th minute.Neat interplay on the left-hand side between striker Atdhe Nuhiu, debutant forward Will Keane and winger Maghoma led to the latter cutting in from the right before his low effort was denied by the fingertips of Blues goalkeeper Darren Randolph.Birmingham midfielder Andrew Shinnie let fly at the other end seven minutes later but his long-range strike was well wide of Keiren Westwood's goal.The first half severely lacked quality, not helped by the poor condition of the Hillsborough pitch, but the visitors went close to snatching a lead just before the interval with two chances in two minutes.In-form striker Clayton Donaldson, who had scored five times in his previous three games, narrowly failed to connect with a centre from left-back Jonathan Grounds in the 44th minute before keeper Westwood was forced to turn over a powerful drive from winger Cotterill.The Owls threatened moments after the break when Chris Maguire floated a 20-yard free-kick the wrong side of the left-hand upright.Wednesday's on-loan midfielder Lewis Baker, making his first professional start, shot wide after racing on to Nuhiu's flick-on in the 65th minute, while Birmingham's teenage forward Demarai Gray fired straight into the arms of Westwood after jinking his way into the Owls' 18-yard box a minute later.Nuhiu was the next to try and break the deadlock when he controlled Liam Palmer's searching ball on the edge of the box before turning and sending a right-footed shot narrowly off target.The Austrian forward then headed over when well-placed after being picked out by a cross from right-back Palmer.The home fans vented their frustrations at the near misses and were also unhappy with a number of decisions made by referee Trevor Kettle, which increased the scrappy nature of the contest.Birmingham wide-man Cotterill tried his luck with an ambitious 40-yard free-kick in the final minute of normal time and, although he found the target, Westwood comfortably caught the ball as the game ended goalless.