The funfair situated behind the North Stand at Hillsborough provided considerably more entertainment for any onlooker than that witnessed on the pitch.

The windswept and often rain-lashed conditions which prevailed throughout most of the game were hardly conducive to anything resembling good football, particularly on a mire of a pitch with barely a blade of grass covering the middle third.

It is little wonder Wednesday have won just two of their last nine home games, with this point hardly adequate in their battle to beat the drop.

Terry Yorath's side will perhaps be relieved four of their remaining seven matches are away from such horrendous home conditions, although the Owls are still potentially nine points shy of the 50-point target generally accepted as the safety watershed.

Gillingham were fortunate enough to reach such a welcome mark in midweek after their 2-1 home win over Grimsby, and for the first half at least they played as if their season was already over.

Wednesday should have sealed a much-needed victory by the break. But the treacherous conditions underfoot in teenage Gills keeper Jason Brown's penalty area during the first period, combined with fine saves and two dismissed penalty appeals were the reasons for the Owls' failure to find the net.

Shefki Kuqi, Gerald Sibon and Alan Quinn all had their chances, while referee Paul Armstrong made positive and instant decisions in waving away spot-kick claims after the former had been brought down by Nayron Nosworthy and Roland Edge in two separate incidents.

Brown, at 19 making his second league appearance following his debut in midweek for the dropped Vince Bartram, had to be alert in punching clear a high, hanging cross from underneath his own crossbar in the 11th minute from Wednesday skipper Trond Soltvedt.

The Norwegian later added to the club's injury problems by failing to emerge for the second half following a touchline challenge from Iffy Onuora which initially led to him requiring lengthy treatment.

Brown later saved at the feet of Kuqi, before making a full-stretch save to deny Quinn, although was grateful to watch a fizzing free-kick from Sibon flash past the post in first-half injury-time.

The save of the game came from Brown just 10 minutes from time after Quinn had let fly from 25 yards, with the young keeper brilliantly tipping the ball over the bar.

He was also involved in the game's one moment of controversy when a poor punched clearance to a Kuqi cross looped up and behind him, with Edge acrobatically hacking clear off the line.

There were claims the ball had crossed, but assistant referee Chris Harwood was in the ideal position to judge, further adding to Wednesday's frustrations.

At least Gillingham showed up for the second period and the victory was theirs for the taking - although it would have been an injustice - in the 74th minute when sub Guy Ipoua played in Marlon King.

With Wednesday's defence looking for an offside flag which never came, King had the goal at his mercy, but from 10 yards and with only Kevin Pressman to beat, he flashed his right-foot shot inches wide of the post.

It was the woodwork which denied the Owls on the stroke of full-time when Kuqi and Matthew Hamshaw combined to set up Soltvedt's half-time replacement in Simon Donnelly, but from eight yards he cracked the final opportunity of a poor game against the bar.

Teams

Sheff Wed: Pressman, Geary, Soltvedt (Donnelly 45), Broomes, Burrows, Haslam, Sibon (Morrison 83), Quinn, Armstrong, Kuqi, Bonvin (Hamshaw 79).

Subs Not Used: Heald, Maddix.

Booked: Geary, Burrows.

Gillingham: Brown, Nosworthy, Hope, Butters, Edge, Smith, Hessenthaler, Gooden, Shaw, Onuora (Ipoua 65), King.

Subs Not Used: Bartram, Browning, Saunders, Perpetuini.

Att: 20,361

Ref: P Armstrong (Thatcham).