A 89th minute schoolboy error from Bailey Peacock-Farrell saw Wednesday held to a 1-1 draw at Ipswich this afternoon.
The keeper, who has had his fair share of problems in recent weeks since his encouraging start to the season, produced an absolute howler to gift the home side a point when we seemed set for a much-needed win.
Peacock-Farrell, with the ball in his hands and ready to clear, must have been the only person in the stadium not to know home striker Macauley Bonne was loitering behind him in the goal area.
However, when the keeper dropped the ball to the ground, Bonne seized his opportunity, turning it back to Scott Fraser and he laid a pass across goal for Conor Chaplin to net the comical equaliser from close-in.
The two points dropped leaves in 11th place on 12 points, seven behind joint leaders Wigan and Sunderland, and while it was an uninspiring Wednesday display against a poor Ipswich side, a first victory in four games looked assured until that late shocker.
We had led from the 26th minute, Lee Gregory laying the ball back to Dennis Adeniran on the edge of the box and the midfielder’s looping effort sailing over keeper Vaclav Hladky and high into the net.
Ipswich should have taken the lead after just two minutes, Bonne looking offside as he broke clear but he shot weakly straight at Peacock-Farrell. The home side continued to dominate and Wes Burns sidefooted home from close range on 18 minutes, the effort being ruled out for offside.
Gregory had our first shot on target soon afterwards, his drive from the edge of the box saved by Hladky, before Adeniran struck with his goal just a minute later.
However, any hopes of Wednesday building on our lead after the break never materialised, as we huffed and puffed and hardly troubled Hladky in the home goal. Ipswich did little better going forward at the other end, apart from a Bonne shot deflected wide by a Sam Hutchinson tackle, until that sucker punch in the closing minutes.
Peacock-Farrell, Palmer, Iorfa, Hutchinson, Johnson, Adeniran, Bannan (Paterson 66), Wing, Shodipo (Dele-Bashiru 69), Berahino (Dunkley 84), Gregory. Unused subs. Wildsmith, Brown, Hunt, Sow.