Late equaliser breaks hearts of Sheffield Wednesday under-23s against title-chasing Nottingham Forest

The Wednesday line-up included the likes of Hamburg loanee David Bates, Ash Baker and Joe Wildsmith, who’s road to recovery from a long-term knee injury has entered its final stages.

The first team travel to Forest tomorrow, of course, and it is perhaps telling that Baker’s name is one mentioned rarely in those circles despite a recent malaise at right-back.

It was after he lost the eye-catching Alex Mighten that Forest opened the scoring after 13 minutes, the winger leaving Baker for dead before letting in Kieran Hayes.

The visitors included Malian international midfielder Samba Sow in the line-up, a player bought for just shy of £2m in the summer, alongside former Leicester City first team right-back Yohan Benalouane. But they were mere witnesses to an incisive Owls equaliser just five minutes after the opener, Preslav Borukov finishing off a delightful one-two with the hard-working Ben Hughes.

An effort or two aside, that was as good as it got in the first half for Wednesday, who went into the break behind after confusion from a free-kick between senior men Bates and Wildsmith allowed Benalouane to poke home from close range on 43 minutes.

Driving rain in the second half witnessed Wednesday create the better chances and almost an hour was on the clock when they made them pay, Conor Grant slotting home a penalty he earned having been hauled down in the box.

And it was from there that the home side took control, their midfield taking the ascendancy and creating a host of half-chances.

Osuze Orhoghide’s 88th minute effort should have earned them the three points they deserved, but as seems to be the way at Wednesday at current, a late concession saw them heartbroken as Yassine En-Neyah bundled home from an injury time corner.

Owls: Wildsmith, Baker, Bates, Urhoghide, West, Hughes (O’Brien, 73), Waldock, Grant, Thompson, Preston, Borukov. Subs: Render, Dawodu, Damba, Farmer, O'Brien.