A late thundering drive from Fisayo Dele-Bashiru rescued a point for Wednesday after poor defending allowed Portsmouth to take a 3-2 lead in the season opener at Hillsborough this afternoon.
We began the game in excellent fashion and were ahead on eight minutes when Josh Windass sent in a low cross and Marvin Johnson volleyed home in style at the far post.
Wednesday continued to dominate with swift, aggressive attacking play for the first half-hour but lacked that finishing touch and would have been disappointed not to go in further ahead at half time.
Portsmouth had failed to have a shot on target in the first half but were level five minutes after the interval when Connor Ogilvie headed home.
Dele-Bashiru fired us back in front almost immediately with a cracking low 25-yarder and George Byers should have made it 3-1 soon afterwards when he shot straight at keeper Josh Griffiths from inside the box.
We quickly paid the price for the miss when Michael Jacobs stooped to nod Pompey level after David Stockdale had pushed Colby Bishop’s header onto the bar and the visitors took the lead for the first time on 64 minutes when Bishop glanced home a third headed goal … all inside 15 minutes.
We almost got an equaliser 10 minutes from time when Michael Ihiekwe’s header was cleared off the line and Barry Bannan’s drive from the rebound was blocked by Ogilvie.
However, we did draw level a minute later and in spectacular style, Dele-Bashiru seizing on a loose ball just inside the box and crashing home an unstoppable shot into the top corner of the Kop net.
To complete an eventful and somewhat frustrating afternoon at S6, there was still time for Lee Gregory to be sent off for a second yellow card on 93 minutes and that means he will miss next Saturday’s trip to MK Dons.
Stockdale, Hunt, Iorfa, Heneghan, Ihiekwe, Johnson, Byers (Smith 71), Bannan, Dele-Bashiru (Vaulks 90), Windass. Unused subs: Dawson, Palmer, Famewo, James, Bakinson. Attendance: 26,901.