Sheffield Wednesday 1 Burton Albion 1: Frustration for Owls as Brewers prove stubborn

Back on March 1, 2016, the former Sheffield United manager was afforded a schadenfreude moment by virtue of a 1-0 victory for Burton at Bramall Lane – after being sacked by the Blades ‘#the previous May.

His Brewers side may have been unable to toast another significant win in Sheffield just over a year on, but last night’s result will still have brought considerable satisfaction for Clough, who played his last-ever professional game at Hillsborough during a brief loan spell at the Owls in 1997.

After the much-garlanded performance against Norwich City three days earlier, the Owls failed to conjure an encore.

Carlos Carvalhal’s warning that his side would have to show patience proved apposite and while a couple of key chances did arrive belatedly in the second period, they could not take them.

Jordan Rhodes spurned Wednesday’s best opportunity, stabbing wide at the far post, while Fernando Forestieri also went close.

Burton proved obdurate and followed up their 3-1 victory over the Owls at the Pirelli Stadium with their fourth successive draw.

The quality and the clinical edge which the Owls masterfully displayed against Norwich was intermittent by contrast and while the hosts pushed frantically for a late winner, Burton held out for a deserved point.

It arrived thanks to a brilliant volleyed leveller from the highly-rated Jackson Irvine, whose list of admirers is likely to grow after his picture-book ninth goal of the season, which came eight minutes after Ross Wallace’s 16th-minute opener.

Pre-match fears that Burton would come to stifle and frustrate proved groundless, with the visitors playing their part in an open first half in which both sides exhibited some attacking verve.

It yielded a 1-1 scoreline at the interval in an entertaining spectacle in which the main talking points centred around both goals.

Clearly not lacking in confidence following his audacious 40-yard strike at the weekend, Wallace chanced his arm again with his speculative long-ranger from distance catching out Brewers custodian Jon McLaughlan at his near post.

The winger’s bobbling low strike bounced twice but still managed to deceive McLaughlan in a moment the former Bradford City keeper would probably prefer to gloss over.

By contrast, Burton’s 24th-minute leveller was majestic, with a partially cleared corner from Lasse Vigen Christensen finding its way to Irvine, whose sweet left-footed volley from 20 yards whistled past Kieren Westwood before he had time to react.

It was as clean a connection as you will see, with Westwood having bailed out the Owls shortly before, making a fine one-handed parry to claw away Marvin Sordell’s close-range shot.

While not hitting the heights of their scintillating first-half on Saturday, Wednesday had their moments and endeavoured to move the ball purposefully and quickly and utilise the width of the pitch.

It brought Wallace another strike to continue his goalscoring glut in 2017, with his tally now up to five.

After enjoying a beano at the weekend, it was rather more quieter in the opening half for Fernando Foresteri and Rhodes, with the former unwittingly getting in the way of an early goalbound effort from Sam Winnall.

Clearly seeking to get in on the goalscoring act, Barry Bannan also went close with two long-range efforts.

But to their credit, the visitors refused to be cowed in a spirited showing in the opening 45 minutes which saw them bring plenty to the table on their first visit to S6. Unfortunately after a watchable first period, play became rather more scrappy on the resumption in keeping with the stodgy fare of many previous home matches at Hillsborough this term.

It was Burton who showed more assertion, with Wednesday, by contrast, losing their way in the opening 15 minutes of the half, much to the frustration of the home supporters.

It needed someone to take the initiative in an Owls jersey, but none was forthcoming, with Forestieri a peripheral figure following his weekend magic.

The tempo dipped and the predictability rose and despite having plenty of possession, Wednesday lacked the wit to break down the Brewers.

A rare moment of intent saw substitute Adam Reach – on for Wallace – take aim with a well-struck long-ranger that was beaten away by McLaughlan, who then grasped held Rhodes’s snapshot at the second attempt.

The Owls best spell came late on. A smart overhead kick from Forestieri soon flew over before Rhodes fluffed his lines from close in following Bannan’s centre. It was not the pair’s day – unlike Saturday.

Sheffield Wednesday: Westwood; Hunt, Sasso, Loovens, Fox (Buckley 80); Wallace (Reach 52), Jones, Bannan, Forestieri; Winnall (Fletcher 66), Rhodes. Unused substitutes: Wildsmith, L Palmer, Semedo, Nuhiu.

Burton Albion: McLaughlan; Brayford, Naylor, Turner, Flanagan; McFadzean; Sordell (M Palmer 71), Christensen, Irvine, Dyer; Varney (Woodrow 83). Unused substitutes: Bywater, Mousinho, McCrory, W Miller, Murphy.

Referee: P Bankes (Merseyside).