Disappointment in draw at Derby

Last updated : 11 December 2019 By C. Morris
Owls let lead slip again
 
Sheffield Wednesday were 10 minutes away from finishing Wednesday evening in 4th place in the Championship but a late slip at Pride Park saw them drop 2 points to finish the night in 8th place.
 
Derby away has been a difficult trip for the Owls in recent years - they have not won at the home of the Rams since 2006 but Garry Monk's team dominated the first half. It was no surprise when Steven Fletcher scored midway through the opening 45 minutes, curling in a first-time strike from the edge of the penalty area after Bannan picked up on a loose Derby pass.
 
Wednesday will have been somewhat disappointed to be only 1 goal ahead at the break and the 2nd half was more of a grind. Both sides struggled to create anything of note as the game became very scrappy but it seemed as though the Owls had done enough. 
 
As the match went into the final 10 minutes the ball ran loose into the Wednesday box and Malone hit the ground under Odubajo's challenge. The award of a penalty looked soft but Chris Martin made no mistake from the spot to bring the home side level.
 
In the last minute Odubajo picked up a 2nd yellow card which will see him suspended for Saturday's trip to Nottingham Forest. Sam Hutchinson will miss the next two matches having picked up his 10th booking of the season.
 
Given Derby's good home record and Wednesday's poor run of results in this fixture then a point might have been seen as a good result before kick-off but the pattern of the game makes it feel more like two points dropped.