Derby took a giant step closer to ensuring their Coca-Cola Championship survival after Rob Hulse's 17th goal of the season earned the Rams victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

The former Sheffield United striker, who had incited the home support and players alike when he flattened keeper Lee Grant in the 13th minute with a late aerial challenge for which he received a yellow card, struck in first-half stoppage time.

It looked like the two teams would be heading back to the dressing rooms locked in a stalemate, but Hulse headed home Gary Teale's left-wing free-kick from eight yards out to end a five-game winless run for Nigel Clough's side.

Meanwhile, the Owls have now taken only five points from their last seven home matches.

Unlike at Anfield earlier in the day, Sheffield Wednesday opted not to mark the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster with a minute's silence.

On Wednesday it will be two decades since England's worst football tragedy. On April 15, 1989, 96 Liverpool fans lost their lives at Hillsborough having gone to watch their side's FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

Derby manager Clough and Sheffield Wednesday boss Brian Laws were both in the Forest side that fateful day.

An impeccably observed silence proceeded Liverpool's home game against Blackburn in the Barclays Premier League's early kick-off and the Merseyside club will stage a special memorial service at Anfield on Wednesday, the day after their Champions League quarter-final second leg at Chelsea.

With the anniversary falling in midweek, the Owls have chosen to mark the occasion when Southampton visit Hillsborough next weekend.

The game itself did ot come to life until the closing stages of the first half.

Lee Grant's save to tip Gary Teale's volley round the post after 22 minutes was the only notable goalmouth action before Darren Potter struck the crossbar with a 25-yard free-kick five minutes before the break.

Wednesday should have taken the lead when Jay McEveley's header back to goalkeeper Stephen Bywater was intercepted by Jeffers.

Jeffers set up Marcus Tudgay but with the majority of the goal to aim for, the former Derby forward let his old club off the hook by firing over the crossbar.

It proved a costly miss as Hulse struck to put Derby ahead with virtually the last touch of the first half.

Hulse then frustrated Wednesday at the other end three minutes after the interval, deflecting Tudgay's shot over the crossbar from on his own goal-line.

Tudgay provided the host's biggest threat and he went close again just before the hour mark with a curling shot from the right-hand side of the penalty area that narrowly cleared the crossbar.

Laws brought on attacking trio Akpo Sodje, Leon Clarke and Etienne Esajas in a bid to salvage something from the game but it proved in vain.

The Owls pressed for an equalising goal but the closest they came was when Richard Hinds headed over from six yards from Esajas' corner.

Teams

Sheff Wed Grant, Buxton, Wood, Hinds, Simek, McAllister,Potter, O'Connor (Clarke 55), Johnson (Esajas 68), Tudgay,Jeffers (Sodje 55).

Subs Not Used: Beevers, Boden.

Booked: O'Connor.

Derby Bywater, Connolly, Nyatanga (Todd 46), Albrechtsen,McEveley, Bannan (Sterjovski 61), Pearson, Eustace, Teale,Commons (Savage 79), Hulse.

Subs Not Used: Price, Villa.

Booked: Hulse, Bywater.

Goals: Hulse 45.

Att: 24,392

Ref: Steve Tanner (Somerset).