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Sheffield Wednesday 2 Hartlepool United 2: Manager Megson to recruit as Owls again hit by sucker-punch
Sheffield Wednesday face a week which will determine their season after another late horror show for Gary Megson’s promotion hopefuls.
Antony Sweeney’s 87th-minute long-range strike robbed the Owls of two points in a game which they should have wrapped up long before.
It left the Owls in fourth place after wins for rivals Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield Town and meant they have lost seven points in the last month due to late goals.
They led Town 4-2 before conceding a ‘96th-minute’ equaliser last month, before two stoppage-time goals at Walsall on Boxing Day saw Wednesday lose 2-1.
Saturday’s late equaliser may not have been so dramatic, but it was another sucker-punch for the Owls.
Megson faces three successive away games in eight days yet must also juggle his time in the search to replace departed winger Ben Marshall before the closure of the January transfer window.
Without the craft of Marshall, the Owls lacked a cutting edge although they still contrived to miss a hatful of chances. A successful recruitment drive this week could be the difference between automatic promotion and the play-offs.
Top scorer Gary Madine, Chris O’Grady and Mike Jones spurned opportunities, while Hartlepool – who in Steven Haslam and Ritchie Humphreys had two players who were playing for Wednesday when they were in the Premier League – shocked the Owls by taking the lead when Peter Hartley’s header crept past a disappointed Nicky Weaver just after half-time.
Hartley was lucky to still be on the field after hauling down Madine in the first half as the striker roared in on goal, but referee Gavin Ward surprised most by only brandishing a yellow card.
Substitute Jermaine Johnson sparked an Owls fightback, scoring the first with a stunning run down the right, beating several players, before drilling the ball beyond Scott Flinders.
When Madine netted with 15 minutes to go, there looked to be just one winner, but several further chances were missed before Sweeney’s late shocker.
“It’s a kick in the teeth and we have to learn how to see games out,” said Megson. “We’ve just spoken in the dressing room about it because that’s another late goal that’s cost us.
“We lost two points against Huddersfield, three against Walsall and two today, so that’s seven points in total and these things all add up.
“We’ve 11 chances and not just chances but good chances. But we’ve only scored two goals yet Hartlepool had two chances and scored them both.”
Sheffield Wednesday: Weaver, Otsemobor, R Jones (Llera 65), Batth, R Johnson (J Johnson 46), Buxton, Semedo, Lines, M Jones (Lowe 56), O’Grady, Madine. Unused substitutes: Bywater, Morrison.
Hartlepool United: Flinders, Austin, Liddle, Collins, Horwood, Monkhouse, Sweeney, Haslam (Brown 80), Murray (Humphreys 67), Hartley, James. Unused substitutes: Rafferty, Boyd, Baldwin.
Referee: G Ward (Surrey).
Man of the match: Jermaine Johnson.
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