Wednesday had to settle for a disappointing point in a 2-2 draw with Millwall at Hillsborough today.
Victory would have taken us to within a point of the play-offs but a missed first-half penalty, three efforts that hit the woodwork and more poor defending, saw us having to settle for a draw against mediocre opposition.
The point sees us in 10th place on 37 points and three away from the final play-off place.
We got off to a great start for the second successive home game, taking the lead on six minutes when Anthony Musaba cut the ball back into the box down the right-hand side and Yan Valery steered an angled drive into the far top corner of the net.
There was then an early scare at the back when Japhet Tanganga was left unmarked at the far post to force a save out of James Beadle with a header, Di’Shon Bernard eventually clearing off line from the resulting scramble.
However, we began to take more control with some good passing movements, Shea Charles just too high from 20 yards and Ike Ugbo doing well to shrug off a defender but sending his shot across goal narrowly off target.
Then came our best chance to double the lead five minutes before half time when Joe Bryan pushed over Musaba in the box for a penalty to the Owls.
With Michael Smith on the bench, the expectation was that his ‘deputy’ Josh Windass would take the spot kick. However, Ugbo was given the opportunity – in a bid to end his goal drought and boost his confidence – only for the striker to send the penalty high over the crossbar.
We started the second half initially lacking the tempo of the first period but almost went two-up on 56 minutes.
Djeidi Gassama was played in by Windass and saw his effort come back off the Kop bar, possibly with the help of keeper Lukas Jensen’s outstretched hand, and when the ball was worked back to Barry Bannan his shot from 12 yards hit the joint of post and bar.
Ten minutes later, poor defending from an innocuous free kick taken inside their own half saw Millwall back on level terms.
Windass failed to clear the initial ball just outside the box and more slack defending allowed George Honeyman to steal in and slot home past James Beadle from close range.
We hit back with Musaba sending another shot against the woodwork from the edge of the box before Windass’s close-in angled effort went across goal and just off target.
However, hopes of all three points took another mighty jolt on 83 minutes when failure, once again, to clear from inside our own box saw the ball land at the feet of Ryan Wintle and he fired home from the edge of the box despite the efforts of the diving Beadle.
All was not lost though, with the Owls grabbing an equaliser two minutes later. Pol Valentin did well down the right and when Windass flicked on the incoming cross, there was young defender Gabriel Otegbayo at the far post to sidefoot home in front of the Kop for his first goal in professional football.
There was still time for Millwall to go close again, Beadle going full length to keep out Wintle’s last-gasp free kick to ensure we took a point from a game we really should have won.
Beadle, Valery (Valentin 79), Iorfa (Otegbayo 70), Bernard, M Lowe, S Charles (Chalobah 79), Bannan, Musaba (J Lowe 85), Gassama, Windass, Ugbo (Smith 70). Unused subs: P. Charles, Palmer, Ingelsson, Paterson. Attendance: 25,208.