Callum Paterson’s added time equaliser saw Wednesday snatch a point in a 1-1 draw at freezing Exeter this afternoon.
It keeps us in third place on 42 points, three behind new league leaders Ipswich after their home win over Peterborough and trailing second-placed Plymouth by two points after their goalless draw at Cambridge United.
After a first half where Wednesday created the better chances, we quickly lost our way in the second period with Exeter going ahead and looking like running out winners before Paterson struck to save a point for the Owls in the dying seconds.
Josh Windass forced a save out of Blackman on four minutes with a 20-yard free kick and tested the home keeper again with a first-timer after Barry Bannan arrowed a free kick 40 yards on to the foot of the striker.
Then, just after the half-hour mark, Wednesday suffered a blow when Bannan was forced off with what looked like a hamstring injury, following a challenge minutes earlier.
However, we came on strong again in the closing minutes of the half when sub Tyreeq Bakinson shot over, then Mark McGuinness sent a header inches too high from a Windass corner and Michael Smith forced another save from Blackman.
Exeter had been restricted to few chances in the first half but they were ahead on 56 minutes. Dominic Iorfa gave the ball away as Wednesday looked to build another attack and Jake Caprice strode forward a few yards before hitting a 20-yarder past David Stockdale, with the keeper looking as though he could have done better.
Stockdale almost gifted Exeter a second goal on 78 minutes, his poor clearance landed at the feet of Jay Stansfield and the Exeter striker’s shot from just outside the box was pushed away for a corner by the Owls keeper.
We hardly troubled Blackman in the home goal in the second 45, although we did have a penalty appeal turned down late on when Liam Palmer went down under a challenge in the Exeter penalty area.
Then, with the last minute of added time approaching, Lee Gregory fed off a flick on and when the ball fell into the path of fellow sub Paterson he steered a low shot into the corner of the net from the edge of the box to seal another important point and stretch our unbeaten league run to nine games.
Stockdale, Iorfa, Palmer, McGuinness, James, Vaulks (Gregory 64), Dele-Bashiru, Bannan (Bakinson 35), Johnson, Windass (Wilks 77), Smith (Paterson 77). Unused subs.: Dawson, Hunt, Mighten.