FIVE wins from their remaining dozen Sky Bet Championship games should secure Leeds United a play-off place.

Chris Wood’s 20th league goal of the season earned the Whites a narrow 1-0 win against Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday at windswept Elland Road on Saturday.

That lifted Garry Monk’s squad to 61 points – already two more than last year’s total.

Wood converted Gaetano Beradi’s centre from the left on 24 minutes in what proved United’s only shot on target, while Wednesday’s lone meaningful effort was a Jordan Rhodes penalty, saved by veteran goalkeeper Rob Green.

The win moves Leeds deeper into the play-off pack, leaving a three-point gap between them and the Owls, who, apart from the penalty, were unable to seriously trouble Green in a hard-fought, scrappy encounter.

Moments after having strong penalty claims of their own when Eunan O’Kane went down in the Wednesday box, the visitors were awarded a spot kick when Souleymane Doukara fouled Sam Hutchinson on 53 minutes.

Former England man Green tipped Rhodes’s effort onto a post and United scrambled the ball clear.

The game rarely flowed, not helped by pedantic referee Michael Jones, but Monk felt his side deserved to complete the double over Wednesday.

“I thought they put some pressure on but we dealt with it extremely well. I can’t remember them having any shots on goal apart from the penalty, so that was very pleasing,” said United's head coach.

“The pressure that’s there to win these types of games – both teams on the same points, a derby – we handled really well and I’m very pleased with the players.

“We played good football, and overall we deserved that win. We were the most creative team on the pitch.”

Central defenders Kyle Bartley and Pontus Jansson were immense at the heart of the Leeds back line as Wednesday pushed for an equaliser, while Wood was a permanent threat to the visitors’ defence.

Had Hadi Sacko and Kemar Roofe picked out the right pass on the break, Leeds could have been more comfortable, while big-spending Wednesday will be glad to see the end of the week in which they suffered back-to-back defeats.

Leeds United: Green, Ayling, Bartley, Jansson, Beradi, Bridcutt, O’Kane (Vieira 83), Sacko (Roofe 71), Hernandez (Dallas 86), Doukara, Wood. Subs (not used): Cooper, Silvestri, Barrow, Pedraza. Cautions: Bartley, Jansson, O’Kane, Bridcutt, Wood.

Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood, Hunt, Sasso, Loovens, Fox (McManaman HT), Wallace, Hutchinson, Abdi (Bannan 68), Reach, Forestieri, Rhodes (Fletcher 68). Subs (not used): Wildsmith, Winnal, Palmer, Semedo. Cautions: Sasso, Wallace.

Referee: Michael Jones.

Attendance: 35,093.