Sheffield Wednesday v West Bromwich Albion: Togetherness is Owls' big strength in Championship relegation battle

Because the day after Huddersfield Town's players were told by their angry fans, "You're not fit to wear the shirt", the Owls put on a show of togetherness at Blackburn Rovers.

Cheered on by 7,321 away fans, they claimed a huge 3-1 win. Hillsborough is again sold out for Saturday's visit of a West Bromwich Albion team looking to hold off Hull City and book a play-off place.

Fans and players are as one, both believing what seemed impossible as the team broke record after awful record in the opening weeks of the season could – will – happen and they will escape relegation.

Last weekend felt like a big one in that respect, the roof coming in on Huddersfield as 0-0 after 72 minutes became 4-0 to Swansea City at full-time. The next day the Owls moved out of the relegation zone for the first time since matchday one.

It was only their second win in eight, yet somehow there is a sense of momentum which manager Danny Rohl cleverly pounced on by insisting his team had not gone from hunters to hunted as the table suggested – now they are eyeing up Plymouth Argyle, Blackburn, Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City.

Right wing-back Pol Valentin had his doubts over the campaign, but they are gone now.

"After Huddersfield (a 4-0 away defeat to kick off February), I didn't know but for me in a relegation battle it is always better if you are going up and up and other teams are going down and down. If you are one of those teams you think the other team (Wednesday) are coming.

"When we started to win games we thought, 'We can do it.'

"If you are looking up you are maybe more focused on what you need to do than if you are looking at what Huddersfield and Birmingham (who meet on Saturday) are doing.

"We are not afraid."

Spaniard Valentin insists the dressing-room unity has always been there, even if three points after 13 games – a start no Championship team has survived – suggested otherwise as a raft of overseas signings he was part of and a Spanish coaching staff joined an English core of long-serving players.

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It was never like that, insists a 27-year-old playing outside his homeland for the first time.

"It was easy for me because the players tried to help me," says Valentin. "When you come into a new changing room and it's difficult for you to talk the language, if you have the feeling the guys are trying to help you it makes you put your energy into learning the language more.

"If you feel alone and no one's helping you or talking to you it can be difficult but it was never like this. It's one of the best things about this changing room."

Big factors were multilingual former Barnsley player Diaby – set to play in a protective mask on Saturday after breaking his nose at Ewood Park – and Valentin's games console.

"I think in the beginning Bambo was a little bit stressed," smirks Valentin, "because Gass (French winger Djeidi Gassama) needs a translation and Bambo comes, and when I need an explanation about how something works, he was like, 'Hey, relax!'

"He's an incredible guy because he tries to help all the players with language.

"If Bambo isn't playing he always tries to help me, saying, 'Be careful of this, look for this,' and the opposite when I was not playing and Bambo was. This is the key of the team. It doesn't matter who is playing, everyone is ready to play and help.

"I'm still doing (English) classes two times a week. I have two Spanish friends in the city and more relationships with the English players.

"Every day I'm on the computer playing games with Akin (Famewo). and a lot of players. We play PUBG, it's a shooting game."

As a team, things started to click in December. Had the league started then, the Owls would be eighth, level on points with West Brom on goal difference.

For Valentin, it was a few weeks earlier.

"I felt better against Bristol (City) away,” he recalls. “I played 45 minutes and I started to feel like myself.

"When I came back after my injury Danny tried to give me confidence. I played well in one of the games – I forget which one – and he said, 'Now you are starting to be Pol.'

"I know in England the fans love players who try to carry the ball. The fans maybe love me more than another style of player."

The fans certainly approve and even if a bad set of results send the Owls back into the relegation zone ahead of next weekend’s final game at Sunderland, there is a welcome sense everyone is in this together.