Sunderland's surge towards the Coca-Cola Championship play-offs continued as they held off a Sheffield Wednesday fightback at Hillsborough.

Dwight Yorke grabbed the first in the 21st minute, with the 35-year-old booked in the aftermath, and a second came in first-half stoppage time from Tobias Hysen.

The Swede then played a key role in the third in the 58th minute, laying on an easy chance for David Connolly.

They appeared to be cruising at that stage but two goals for Wednesday in the space of five minutes set up a tight finish until Carlos Edwards' 89th-minute goal finally killed off the hosts and kept the Black Cats in contention for a top-six finish.

Wednesday, whose own play-off aspirations were dented by this defeat, were the first to truly threaten after six minutes. Wade Small embarked on a penetrating run and found Marcus Tudgay, whose left-foot shot was blocked by Nyron Nosworthy for a corner.

On-loan Owls goalkeeper Mark Crossley then did well to cut out an Edwards cutback, with Connolly and Hysen both lurking just behind him.

The Wearsiders' pressure ultimately yielded a goal after 20 minutes as Yorke gained possession following a short corner, played a one-two and beat Crossley all ends up.

Roy Keane's men were inches away from a second when Hysen's shot hit the inside of the post, with Yoann Folly just first to the loose ball for the hosts.

Brian Laws made a tactical switch before the half-hour with stand-in left-back Burton O'Brien being taken off in place of new-boy Leon Clarke, who joined Tudgay up front with Brunt dropping back.

Wednesday defender Graham Coughlan then suffered a blow and seemed unsteady on his feet. It forced Laws into more reorganisation with 19-year-old midfielder Sean McAllister coming on and Glenn Whelan dropping back to replace Coughlan in defence.

Collins was booked for the visitors in the 45th minute after a cynical foul on Small but there was still time for a second in injury time for the Black Cats as Hysen finished well from close range from Edwards' cross from the right.

Clarke was off-target with a shot in the 50th minute for Wednesday, who started the half positively.

However, Sunderland struck the killer blow eight minutes later on the counter-attack when Hysen raced away down the left and crossed low for Connolly, and the Irishman made no mistake for his seventh of the season.

Laws' final change was to put Deon Burton on up front for Steven MacLean but there was no swift riposte from the hosts, with a long-range shot from Small easily dealt with by Sunderland goalkeeper Darren Ward.

Daryl Murphy came on for goalscorer Connolly with 15 minutes to go, but it was Owls substitute Burton who now looked the liveliest player on the pitch as he tried to conjure an unlikely comeback.

He played a big part in the Owls getting a goal back with eight minutes to go, drawing a foul from Collins and Brunt converted the free-kick with Ward only able to get a hand on it.

Five minutes later it was 3-2 as Tudgay's shot deflected to Small in space and he finished well, but the two-goal cushion was restored by Edwards, who gobbled up the straightforward chance presented to him by Murphy with a minute to go.

Teams

Sheff Wed Crossley, Bullen, Coughlan (McAllister 37),O'Brien (Clarke 30), Folly, Whelan, Lunt, Brunt, Small, Tudgay,MacLean (Burton 62).

Subs Not Used: Adamson, Graham.

Goals: Brunt 82, Small 87.

Sunderland Ward, Evans, Whitehead, Nosworthy, Collins,Edwards, Hysen (Wallace 90), Yorke, Miller (Leadbitter 63),Elliott, Connolly (Murphy 75).

Subs Not Used: Fulop, Varga.

Booked: Yorke, Collins.

Goals: Yorke 21, Hysen 45, Connolly 58, Edwards 89.

Att: 29,103

Ref: A D'Urso (Essex).