Wednesday saw victory snatched from our grasp in an agonising finale to the Championship clash with QPR at Hillsborough this afternoon.
We took a deserved lead on 93 minutes with a cracking Barry Bannan volley, our first goal in four league matches, only for the visitors to level at 1-1 three minutes later after what must be one of the biggest goalmouth scrambles seen at professional level.
The Owls were in total control for almost the entire first half but failed to turn that domination into goals and, while QPR had more of the play after the break, we will look back on two points lost in remarkable fashion.
The statistic of nine shots for Wednesday but only one on target summed up a frustrating first 45 minutes for the home fans while QPR mustered just two efforts in the same period.
Our first threat came on two minutes when Ike Ugbo just failed to make contact with his head from an excellent Josh Windass cross and, after Kenneth Paal fired inches wide in a rare QPR attack, Olaf Kobacki brought a diving save out of keeper Paul Nardi.
With only 15 minutes on the clock, Ugbo went close to opening the scoring. Josh Windass and Jan Valery combined down the right to set up the striker with a low cross and he clipped the ball past Nardi but, agonisingly, also over the Kop bar.
Another clear chance then went begging ten minutes before the break when Marvin Johnson’s cross found Windass in space at the far post but he blazed over from eight yards.
It was a similar story at the start of the second half with Windass and Bannan both causing problems for the visitors within the first two minutes of the restart.
Rangers did step their goal threat in the second period with subs Paul Smyth and Koki Saito both going close but the game looked to be petering out into a goalless draw before that late, late drama.
First, Bannan sent Hillsborough into raptures on 93 minutes when Michael Smith headed down to the skipper just inside the box and he sent a stunning volley into the top corner of the net via the underside of the bar.
However, the visitors grabbed that unexpected and remarkable equaliser three minutes later from a corner.
Wednesday cleared an initial effort off the line but that sparked an almighty goalmouth scramble involving several players – including Rangers keeper Nardy – before the ball was somehow fired home by Alfie Lloyd with almost the last kick of the game.
Beadle, Valery (Valentin 73), Ihiekwe, Famewo (Bernard 73), Johnson (M Lowe 89), Palmer, Charles, Bannan, Kobacki (Musaba 64), Windass, Ugbo (Smith 73). Unused subs: P. Charles, Ingelsson, Paterson, Gassama. Attendance: 26.283.