Middlesbrough 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1: Owls withstand Gardner blow as Boro fail to find winning finish

The influential centre-half was carried off in the first-half of Saturday’s Yorkshire derby with Middlesbrough with the Owls leading through Michail Antonio.

The 32-year-old former Hull City defender crumbled to the floor in his own half and the initial diagnosis is a torn Achilles, which could see Gardner sidelined for several months.

“He said it felt like a kick and normally that’s the sensation you get. Fingers crossed it might just be a kick,” said Jones.

“I don’t know (how long he will be sidelined), we just want to get him back as quickly as possible.”

Without Gardner, Wednesday were unable to resist a fierce Middlesbrough assault after the break with the impressive Lukas Jutkiewicz setting up Mustapha Carayol for a deserved equaliser.

It means Wednesday have yet to win this season in all competitions – their only victory in 11 games stretching back into last season was a 2-0 Hillsborough triumph over Boro on the final day of the campaign.

But after three successive draws against Leeds United, Millwall and now Boro, at least Jones’s team have steadied the ship.

“It’s three games now that we haven’t lost, okay we have drawn them, but you can see the signs are there,” said Jones, whose side have taken the lead against QPR, Leeds, Millwall and Boro without being able to claim maximum points.

Without Gardner, though, Wednesday’s threadbare squad looks stretched in defence with Lewis Buxton (hamstring) sidelined along with Kieran Lee and Joe Mattock, while goalkeeper Chris Kirkland had to be “wrapped in cotton wool” after complaining of back spasms on Thursday.

Jordan Spence – signed on a month’s loan after right-back Buxton was ruled out – came into the back four.

With striker Atdhe Nuhiu dropped to the bench, the Owls had a familiar look to the one which won so impressively at Hull City last season, where they dispensed with an out-and-out striker and played to the strengths of speed merchants Jermaine Johnson – back after serving a three-match ban – and Antonio on the counter-attack.

The only change to the Boro side which drew 2-2 against Wigan last time out, saw Frazer Richardson replaced by Justin Hoyte.

Boro started brightly and Jutkiewicz was posing a real threat, firing a low shot which fizzed beyond Kirkland’s right-hand post, before he blasted over the bar.

Left-back George Friend was giving debutant Spence a tough opening, the former Doncaster Rovers defender driving down the left flank at every opportunity.

It was a frenetic opening with both sides going direct, Boro using the craft of Albert Adomah and the strength of Jutkiewicz, while Wednesday looked to the pace of Helan, Jermaine Johnson and Antonio.

Wednesday forced numerous first-half corners and they finally made the most of their set-pieces when Antonio pounced for his first goal of the season.

Reda Johnson headed down Helan’s corner at the far post and Antonio – last season’s top scorer – hooked the ball in beyond the despairing dive of goalkeeper Jason Steele.

Almost immediately, Gardner was stretchered off to be replaced by Miguel Llera.

The Owls were caught out at the back in the 49th minute as Boro levelled. Jutkiewicz pounced on a mistake by Kamil Zayatte to muscle his way through, before sliding in an inviting cross which Carayol rammed home from close-range.

Despite there being large banks of empty red seats – the 15,964 crowd was boosted by 2,255 visiting fans – there was a good atmosphere inside the Riverside and Friend nearly raised the decibels even further when he flashed his shot wide.

Jutkiewicz came even closer when a flowing move saw the striker’s fierce drive hammer of the bar, before his penalty claims for a foul by Zayatte were waved away.

Boro were in full flow but Wednesday should have pinched victory in the seven minutes of stoppage time when Antonio was sent clear by Nuhiu but the low shot was easily saved by Steele.

Mowbray rued his side’s lack of finishing power and said: “Wednesday came with a game-plan to go on the counter-attack.There were times they pressed forward and that gave us space to play. It was different from Blackpool who banked up and got everyone behind the ball. Wednesday gave us a bit of room to play, but we were far from dynamic.

“We need to learn how to break teams down and finish them off. We had a lot of great chances, but need to start taking them.”

“We gave them too many corners and they punished us. They were like the land of the giants in the box – although for the goal we had four defenders near the ball and their lad reacted quickest.”

Mowbray hopes to bring in reinforcements before today’s transfer deadline.

He said: “Everybody is working hard to put things in places to get somebody in.

“I would prefer a permanent signing rather than a loan. We are trying to build a team and I think the team is starting to take shape and look like one that we coach.”

Middlesbrough: Steele, Hoyte, Woodgate, Williams, Friend, Whitehead, Adomah, Varga (Emnes 72), Carayol (Halliday 72), Leadbitter, Jutkiewicz. Unused substitutes: Leutwiler, Ledesma, Williams, Gibson, Smallwood.

Sheffield Wednesday: Kirkland, Spence, Gardner (Llera39), Zayatte, R Johnson, Palmer, Coke (Nuhiu 77), Prutton, Helan, Antonio, J Johnson (Semedo 61). Unused substitutes: Davies, Maghoma, Taylor, Maguire.

Referee: C Sarginson (Staffs).

Mad dash pays dividends for young Hammer

Jordan Spence capped a whirlwind 24 hours with an impressive debut in Sheffield Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Middlesbrough, writes Richard Hercock.

The 23-year-old West Ham United right-back got a call on Friday night offering him the chance of a loan move to Hillsborough.

The former England Under-21 defender and national schoolboy captain jumped at the chance of regular football after failing to win a place in Sam Allardyce’s Premier League plans.

Spence picked up his boots from West Ham before jumping on a train north from King’s Cross to Darlington.

There he got a taxi to the Owls’ north-east hotel, arriving in the early hours on Saturday morning where he signed his loan papers before finally managing to get to bed.

Spence was then handed an immediate debut at the Riverside Stadium, with regular right-back Lewis Buxton out with a hamstring problem and Kieran Lee on the long-term injury list.

“I got a call about 7pm on Friday evening, I was just about to have dinner with my fiancee,” said Spence.

“So I went to West Ham and got my boots and got on a train from King’s Cross. I jumped in a cab at Darlington and got to the hotel about 1.30am.

“I signed the papers and then got myself off to bed.

“I knew Monday’s deadline was coming around so I was ready for every eventuality,” said Spence, who has previously had loan spells at Leyton Orient, Scunthorpe United and Bristol City.

He was in the Scunthorpe side which lost 4-0 at Hillsborough in the Championship in 2009.

On Saturday’s debut, Spence said: “I thought I did okay. The most important thing was we got a result. It was disappointing that we couldn’t hold on for longer at 1-0 to give us the chance of all three points.

“I can be much better than that. I am not making excuses but I have not played a lot of football so far this season. Physically, it was demanding and something to build on.”

The deal is for a month, and Spence – who has played for the Hammers in the Premier League – has no long-term plans at either Upton Park or Hillsborough.

“I think the fact that I am here, it’s important that I play,” he said. “I have played football sporadically last season, so, from a personal perspective, it’s about playing football. I will concentrate on doing well, then whatever will be, will be.”