Sheffield Wednesday 2 Yeovil Town 2: Mandaric's long wait for victory continues after Owls stalemate

The hosts twice had to come from behind to level through Gary Madine and Reda Johnson after goals from Dean Bowditch and Paul Huntington had shocked Hillsborough.

And despite facing just nine men for the final 20 minutes after both Luke Ayling and Adam Virgo – the substitute only being on the pitch for four minutes – were red carded, Wednesday could not pinch a winner to leave the disappointed 16,618 crowd chanting for Irvine's head.

Since Mandaric took charge in mid-December, Wednesday have not won a single League One match, losing three, drawing two, with a worrying goals ratio of 14 conceded, only five scored.

Before the game Irvine admitted he was under pressure to start delivering results and responded to Saturday's humiliating loss at Leyton Orient by making six changes last night.

Out went injured duo Lewis Buxton and Tommy Miller, with Daniel Jones, James O'Connor, Chris Sedgwick and Clinton Morrison dropping to the bench.

That meant home debuts for new signings Madine and Mark Reynolds, the latter slotting into a new-look Owls defence.

And the back four looked nervous in the opening exchanges, hardly surprising with three of the quartet only arriving this month in the January transfer window.

First Ed Upson missed out when a low corner picked him out on the edge of the penalty area, but there was to be no escape in the 14th minute when former Ipswich Town striker Bowditch sneaked in to loft the ball over the onrushing Nicky Weaver and the ball bounced into the roof of the net.

At the other end Madine was penalised for pushing in a rare Owls attack and when Neil Mellor delivered a teasing cross into the penalty area there was no-one to deliver the finishing touch.

Wednesday's first meaningful attack came in the 22nd minute when good work from Mellor and Madine saw the ball rolled into Gary Teale's path, but the right winger's low shot struck the base of the post and bounced away to safety.

Jermaine Johnson was next to threaten but his volley flew into the side netting after drifting in umarked at the far post to get on the end of Tommy Spurr's cross.

The Owls were now starting to settle down and equalised 10 minutes before half-time. Again it was the recalled Spurr, the left-back playing out of position on the right, whose cross caused Yeovil's defence problems and when a deflection fell invitingly for Madine he made no mistake, nipping in front of goalkeeper Stephen Henderson to head home.

It was his first goal for Wednesday to add to the 13 he scored in Carlisle's colours before arriving at Hillsborough.

And it could have been even better for the hosts just before half-time, but Mellor's glancing header from Teale's whipped-in cross was plucked out by Henderson.

After the break, Yeovil won a corner on the right in front of the pocket of hardy fans who had made the long trek north, and as the ball was fired in, visiting defender Paul Huntington rose highest to head beyond a stranded Weaver.

Yeovil were reduced to 10 men when Luke Ayling was sent off for two bookings, after he hauled down Teale in the 64th minute.

That prompted Irvine to bring on an extra striker in Paul Heffernan, in place of Teale, and the former Doncaster Rovers player was soon in the action when his shot was deflected wide before winning an Owls penalty.

Madine was pushed to the ground as he raced onto Johnson's cross, substitute Adam Virgo being shown a straight red card as a result.

Giles Coke stepped up to convert the penalty only for referee Trevor Kettle to order the spot-kick to be retaken for encroachment and Coke blazed the ball over the crossbar into the Kop with his second attempt.

Playing for the final 20 minutes with just nine men, Yeovil were forced to soak up some fierce Owls pressure as Irvine threw on a fourth striker in Clinton Morrison.

Heffernan and Morrison were both denied with close-range headers, the latter looping his chance over from six yards out, as chants of 'Irvine out' grew louder by the minute.

Wednesday finally found an equaliser, Reda Johnson firing home after Henderson had twice denied Potter and Morrison.

Henderson earned a point for Yeovil as first the visiting goalkeeper tipped Jermaine Johnson's low effort round the post before scooping Madine's header off the line.

Sheffield Wednesday: Weaver, Spurr, Morrison (Sedgwick 87), Reynolds (Morrison 76), R Johnson, Teale (Heffernan 66), Coke, Potter, J Johnson, Madine, Mellor. Unused substitutes: Jameson, Jones, Beevers, O'Connor, Sedgwick.

Yeovil Town: Henderson, Ayling, Huntington, Ehmer, Smith, Welsh, Wotton, Johnson (S Williams 76), Upson (Russell 90), Bowditch (Virgo 66), A Williams. Unused substitutes: Martin, Calver, Gibson, Baggridge.

Referee: T Kettle (Berks).