An all-too-familiar Storey as Sheffield Wednesday throw away two points against Bolton Wanderers

Sheffield Wednesday threw away two points in a 1-1 draw against Bolton Wanderers.
Sheffield Wednesday drew 1-1 with Bolton Wanderers.Sheffield Wednesday drew 1-1 with Bolton Wanderers.
Sheffield Wednesday drew 1-1 with Bolton Wanderers.

The first half was one of frustration for Wednesday as they got off to a bright start, but couldn’t force their way past the Bolton backline and James Trafford in goal.

Barry Bannan fired three early warning shots in the first 10 minutes, with the Trotters goalkeeper saving two of them, and then just after the 20-minute mark Nathaniel Mendez-Laing had a chance of his own to open the scoring.

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Wednesday had been pressing high, and well, and Hunt did excellently to tee up the attacker, only to see NML scuff his shot wide of the goal. It was a big opportunity, but not the only one to go begging.

Moments after that miss, a misplaced Jordan Storey pass left the Owls compromised at the back, however Harlee Dean was on hand to get in a big block before Bailey Peacock-Farrell turned Kieran Sadlier’s effort over the bar.

The scare seemed to wake Wednesday up a bit, and they upped their tempo once again as they continued to pressure the hosts. Mendez-Laing had two more opportunities of his own, heading straight at Trafford from a corner and then seeing another shot blocked just before break.

There was chance for one more scare though, with Jon Dadi Bodvarsson glancing a header wide moments ahead of the halftime whistle. Wednesday had more than enough chances to take the lead, but could just as easily have been a goal or two down.

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And it was Bolton that started the second half the stronger, even having the ball in the back of the net before it was ruled offside. Wednesday needed a change, and Darren Moore thought the same thing.

Both Callum Paterson and Saido Berahino were brought into the fray as Wednesday chased an opener, with George Byers and Mendez-Laing making way on the hour mark.

And the substitutions didn’t take long to have an effect…

Berahino’s brilliant turn and touch set Marvin Johnson free down the left, and while his strike after cutting inside was blocked, there was more to come.

Wednesday’s 5,000+ travelling fans had been loud before, but when Jordan Storey poked home from close range after a Harlee Dean header, then it felt like the roof came off the away end at the University of Bolton Stadium.

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The defender has threatened to open his Wednesday account on numerous occasions, and there was no chance he was missing this one.

It was just the impetus that Wednesday needed, and with the Owls fans doing their thing behind the goal, they kept pushing.

Bannan could – and probably should – have scored as he drilled wide of the post with 15 minutes to go, and Berahino also had a shot blocked after finding space for himself inside the box.

And they were chances they’d come to rue.

As has been the case so often, Wednesday were undone by a setpiece. This time with 89 minutes on the clock - MJ Williams was the benefactor.

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If Wednesday had figured out how to stop conceding from corners then they might be looking at automatic promotion – but as the saying goes, if my grandmother had wheels she’d be a bike.

Two points dropped, but still in the Play-Off places.