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Owls foiled Deep into added time - MATCH REPORT AND SLIDESHOW
Preston 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1 THE kick that Brian Laws angrily landed on a plastic water-bottle crate as he strode from the technical area towards the stand said it all.
It was an expression of frustration and anger from a manager who had seen his team outplay Championship promotion hopefuls and home specialists but finish up with only a point at Deepdale thanks to an injury-time kick in the teeth.
The blow was the late, late equaliser from striker Jon Parkin which tarnished one of the Owls' best performances of the season and led to the normally mild-mannered Laws getting in trouble with the referee.
Why, he wondered, was Preston keeper Andy Lonergan, in the move that led to the goal, allowed to take a free kick at least 10 yards further upfield than it should have been, and why had attempts to bring on an Owls sub been seemingly ignored?
A touchline confrontation between a furious Laws and ref Andy Penn ended with Mr Penn pointing to the stand and the Owls manager going to stand at the front of it, behind the nearest advertising board.
Wednesday had also paid an infuriating price for being unable to get a second goal, but it wasn't because there were bad misses: it was just a night when many times they did not get the breaks in front of goal, and flowing football did not get its full reward.
There were so many successes, including a well-crafted and clinically-taken goal by Francis Jeffers, midfield class from Michael Gray, a tremendous all-round show from Sean McAllister, Darren Potter's best game for the club and commanding defending from Richard Wood.
Laws, who rated it the team's best show of the season "by a mile", had made three changes to the starting 11 against Wolves.
Potter came in for James O'Connor, Mark Beevers for Richard Hinds and Jeffers for the injured Leon Clarke.
Despite Preston's impressive record at Deepdale the Owls looked equally at home on a true and well-grassed pitch.
Lee Grant and defenders coped competently against early Preston attacks that lacked potency, then the Owls' first real strike came after a Jermaine Johnson cross was knocked out to Jeffers, whose shot was deflected for a corner.
Then came the Owls' goal. Gray found McAllister on the right and the midfielder pulled the ball back to the edge of the six-yard box for Jeffers to guide it low to the keeper's right.
Preston were unable to muster much of a riposte and had not caused the Owls a serious alarm or created any concerted pressure.
A terrific effort by Gray from 30 yards so nearly put the Owls two up in the 41st minute. The ball was curling into the far top corner but Lonergan touched it past the post.
Wednesday's poise was shaken a little in first-half stoppage time. One scramble in the goalmouth was followed by a good left-wing cross to the far post and Parkin powered a header against the bar.
Those last few seconds served as a warning to the Owls not to relax but on the whole they could feel pleased with their first-half efforts.
At the start of the second half the quality of Wednesday's play just got better.
In the 49th minute McAllister made a run into the left side of the box and found Tudgay. The striker picked out Gray and his crisp shot forced another stop from Lonergan, who got down quickly.
Less than a minute later Jeffers controlled a Lewis Buxton cross and fired a shot just over the bar from 14 yards.
Then it became three escapes in two minutes for Preston as Johnson attacked down the inside-left channel, and curled a right-foot effort against the outside of the far post from just inside the area.
Wednesday were rampant, the home crowd were silent, the away fans' songs filled the stadium.
Jeffers pulled away from the near post to get in a forceful header from a Gray corner and saw it blocked on the line – a fourth near miss for Wednesday in the space of nine minutes, and that's not counting a sliced clearance by centre half Andrew Davies from a Buxton cross which flew over the Preston bar.
Inevitably the home side had a spell where they carried the game to the Owls but it was met by calm defending and organisation.
Akpo Sodje added spice with a brief and lively outing as a sub. One drive by the striker was blocked and another fizzed off target.
Wednesday could have made the game safe in the 87th minute. McAllister cleared a corner out to Johnson and away went the winger for a tame shot when Gray was unmarked and wanting a cross.
It was last-ditch stuff from Preston when ex-Rotherham winger Chris Sedgwick drove a shot from the edge of the area, Wood cleared it off the line but the ball bounced out to Parkin and he rammed it home.
Boss's view
It's the biggest travesty ever that we haven't won.
There are so many pluses to comes out of the game.
I hope Preston are respectful and acknowledge how well we played. From start to finish, we bossed them and outplayed them and moved the ball on a superb surface. It was begging for football, we certainly provided it.
We were outstanding in the way we interlinked and moved the ball around.
I'm devastated for the players. They feel as if the whole world has come to an end, that's how gut-wrenching it is.
n Preston boss Alan Irvine said: "Wednesday played extremely well. They started brilliantly in the second half and they created a lot of opportunities. It forced me to change the system."
What do you think? Post your comments below.
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Blades Watch 08-09 - The Season So Far
Owls Watch 08-09 - The Season So Far
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Friday 10 February 2012
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