"It feels like a defeat..." - Reaction from Sheffield Wednesday's Jamie Smith on the performance and that Barry Bannan penalty miss

Wednesday took an early lead through Julian Börner, and bossed the game almost entirely but struggled to put it to bed.

Barry Bannan missed a penalty after Henri Lansbury was sent off for a bizarre handball, and the Owls looked to be on course to pick up three much-needed points and also close the gap on 21st-placed Derby County.

But then disaster struck as Tyreeq Bakinson fired home from range with just a few minutes left to play, and the Owls boss admits that it felt like a loss.

Smith was standing in once again for the absent Darren Moore as the Owls boss recovers from pneumonia and blood clots brought on by COVID-19, and he also says that they won’t be giving up the ghost until they’ve got no choice.

Speaking to the media after the game, he said, “It’s a tough one to take. I feels like a defeat. I know it’s a point, but it’s not enough… We should’ve won the game. We had enough chances to win it, it’s as simple as that. Which is why it feels like a defeat more than a draw… It was a big game for us, one we needed to win, but we haven’t. So now we move on to Tuesday.

“Until it’s mathematically impossible, we’ll keep fighting. How else do you expect us to be? We can’t just give up and not turn up – we’ve still got to go in, and we’ve still got to work.”

Smith was also asked about Bannan’s penalty miss, which proved to be a pivotal moment in the game, and it will come as no surprise that the Owls captain is gutted. You could see it as he collapsed to the ground at the final whistle.

“Baz is obviously disappointed,” he added. “But there’s no blame. It wasn’t the reason why we didn’t win the game – there were other chances to do that, and we could’ve settled it.”

Next up for Wednesday is a visit from Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday.

More Owls news

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Late disaster – Ratings as Wednesday throw away a glorious opportunity

"Like a defeat..." - Reaction from Smith on the performance and Bannan penalty

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