Ten-man Wednesday ended their run of seven straight draws - but with defeat to Blackpool in this crunch basement battle.
Claus Jorgensen gave the Lancashire side the lead before Richard Wood hit back for the Owls. But strike veteran Paul Dickov settled the game 12 minutes before half time to leave Wednesday deep in the relegation mire with just two games to play. Peter Gilbert was also controversially dismissed after the break to compound the visitors' woes.
Brian Laws made one change from the side that posted a point against Plymouth on Monday. Loanee striker Bartosz Slusarski came in for Ben Sahar to make his first SWFC start as the Israeli striker dropped to the bench. Club captain Lee Bullen returned as a substitute, alongside fellow recent hamstring victim Graham Kavanagh. Dutchman Etienne Esajas was also in the 16 for the first time since the trip to Cardiff in January.
After an uneventful start in blustery conditions at Bloomfield Road, the hosts took the lead with their first attack of the game six minutes in. Jorgensen advanced dangerously towards the Owls penalty area unchallenged before letting fly from 15 yards and the ball bounced high into Lee Grant's net with the aid of a deflection.
The early goal sparked Wednesday into life and Deon Burton thumped in a long-ranger that whistled past Paul Rachubka but also the keeper's left hand post. Burton, though, was not to be denied and played his part in helping the Owls restore parity on 13 minutes. Franck Songo'o floated in an accurate free kick that Burton headed on to the onrushing figure of Wood, who nodded past Rachubka inside the six-yard box.
Wednesday went close to taking the lead four minutes later as Wood again threatened in the air from an Owls set piece while Jermaine Johnson saw his goalbound effort deflected wide by Kspars Gorkss.
The Tangerines were clearly unsettled by the Owls' response and struggled to piece a significant move together until they broke from a Wednesday corner and Dickov's cross found Gary Taylor-Fletcher in space but the midfielder could only plant a tame header into the arms of Grant. Wes Hoolahan then fired wide from 20 yards as Blackpool began to edge back into the contest.
The hosts' tenacity reaped its reward on 33 minutes, with Premiership veteran Dickov at the heart of the action, pouncing with zest on the edge of the area to dispatch a blistering volley past Grant after a clever knockdown by Gorkss to put the Red Rose outfit back into the lead.
Stephen McPhee forced Grant into action at his near post and the keeper responded well to parry wide for a corner while at the other end, ex-Blackpool loanee Slusarski belted narrowly over the bar following Adam Bolder's feed.
Laws introduced Kavanagh for the second half to inject more bite into his engine room but just six minutes in, the visitors were reduced to ten men. Gilbert tangled with Dickov deep in the Owls' half and the upshot was referee Nigel Miller sending the SWFC defender for an early bath.
Ian Evatt then fired high over the bar after Hoolahan broke free down the left and Jorgensen tried his luck from distance without success moments later. Dickov just failed to get something on McPhee's cross as Blackpool capitalised on their numerical advantage by bossing possession.
Wednesday crept back into contention with two corners in a minute midway through the half but Rachubka was untroubled between the Blackpool sticks. Sahar came on for Slusarski as Laws went for fresh legs in the final third.
But the Tangerines forged the next threat as Gorkks climbed high from Hoolahan's corner to trigger a goalmouth scramble that almost saw Dickov profit. Mark Beevers cleared Keith Southern's shot off the line with ten minutes to go and substitute Andy Morrell's strike was ruled out for offside as Blackpool looked to make the points safe.
But the Owls pressed for an equaliser in the dying minutes and Burton forced Rachubka into two diving saves, the latter of which proved the last action of note as Blackpool hung on to claim three vital points.
Blackpool: Rachubka. Crainey, Southern, Evatt, McPhee (Morrell 76), Hoolahan, Taylor-Fletcher (Green 76), Jorgensen, Gorkss, Barker, Dickov (Burgess 86)
Unused substitutes: Jackson, Flinders
Wednesday: Grant, Gilbert, Beevers, Wood, Spurr, Johnson (Bullen 58), Bolder, O'Brien (Kavanagh 46), Songo'o, Burton, Slusarski (Sahar 68)
Unused substitutes: Burch, Esajas
Referee: Nigel Miller
Attendance: 9,633
