Coventry City’s promotion to the Premier League was delayed after being held by relegated Sheffield Wednesday.
Frank Lampard’s Coventry have gone successive matches without scoring for the first time this season.
The Championship leaders would have officially been promoted had they beaten the Owls, because of promotion rivals Middlesbrough’s defeat by Portsmouth later on Saturday.
However, Boro’s loss, combined with Millwall only managing a draw at West Bromwich Albion on Friday, means Frank Lampard’s men are practically assured of a top-two finish.
They are 12 points clear of third-placed Millwall with four games to play and a goal difference 33 better than the Lions.
Owls Frustrate Coventry’s Attack
A single point from their remaining games will formally secure Coventry’s place back in the top flight after 25 years.
They will look to get that at Blackburn on Friday after a game where they could not find the kind of fluency in attack they have shown all season.
The closest they came was Liam Kitching’s header from Jack Rudoni’s corner which was headed off the line by Svante Ingelsson in the first half.
Jerry Yates and Ingelsson both had chances to give the Owls, who are now winless in 37 matches in all competitions, a shock lead after the break.
Coventry did improve as the match wore on but failed to force Wednesday goalkeeper Pierce Charles into a meaningful save, although Ellis Simms nearly won it in the final moments of six minutes added on when his deflected overhead kick went just wide.
Wednesday Edge Closer to Zero
Henrik Pedersen’s administration-hit Wednesday side, meanwhile, have now drawn successive matches and are up to minus four points for the campaign.
This stalemate was a second this week for Coventry after the 0-0 draw at Hull City on Easter Monday.
Against a team who had lost 30 of their 41 league games going into this match and been beaten 5-0 by the Sky Blues in the reverse fixture in October, most expected the result to be a formality.
However, just as in East Yorkshire five days earlier, Lampard’s men never really built up any sustained momentum on their opponents’ goal.
Kitching’s header was the clearest opportunity either side had by some way in a evenly-contested first half in front of a stadium record of 31,647.
Brandon Thomas-Asante fluffed a good opportunity to put the hosts in front when he totally failed to make contact with a presentable volleyed chance and Yates then turned over Jaden Heskey’s cross from close range down the other end.
Coventry pushed on and on for a winner that would, with their goal difference, have made promotion a mere formality and sub Josh Eccles had a header drop just wide.
Simms then came agonisingly close to pinching it with almost the final action of the match but his deflected acrobatic attempt kissed the outside of the post.
Despite this disappointment, a positive result at Blackburn on Friday will see Coventry end their quarter of a centur