Facing the Lancashire side for third time in 33 days, the Owls must face Town for a fourth game in short succession next month with a replay now in store on the Fylde coast.

Fleetwood took the lead early in the second half, thanks to a fine diving header from Promise Omochere with Wednesday bringing on fit-again duo Barry Bannan and George Byers just after the hour mark, alongside Lee Gregory in a bid to get back into the game.

But it was Wilks who made the difference and he latched onto a fine cross from Marvin Johnson in the build-up to the equaliser, with the final touch coming off Fleetwood defender Josh Earl.

Wednesday piled on the pressure but could not register a seventh straight win, but at least remain in the cup.

On the impact of Wilks, Moore said: "I was pleased. It was his all-round game. He is different to Greggers (Lee Gregory) and Smudger (Michael Smith) because what he can do is spin and run in behind and is close to the ball at his feet, he can manipulate the ball and take people on in one-versus-one situations and we know he posed a goal threat and he was that.

"I was so pleased for him as he has had to wait for his chance, but he has done an incredible volume of work in training to get him to a level and now we have seen the level he can contribute. He played 84 minutes today. He will be a big player for us in the second half of the season."

And on the return of Bannan and Byers, he continued: "Baz and George were always going to come on today and get thirty minutes, so I was pleased to get them back in and I thought those two really controlled the game and gave us a lot and even in their low block, the passing ability which those two have got and creativity mean we unpicked them."

Offering his take on the game, he said: "I am fine - no problems at all. The reason I am fine is that when we went a goal down against the run of play and there was a great desire and temperament by the boys to get back in the game.

"I think we did enough to win the game, possession and territory were good and we created some wonderful overloads down the sides and got in some good positions.

"But it was three things - either the wrong choice, poor contact on the ball or them just getting bodies in front of the goal. Even with those things against us, I thought we did enough to win the game.

"I said to the boys that if there was one word I could use that we could use that we were not today, it was ruthless. We lacked that mentality to put the ball in the back of the net, but we are still in the tie."

Darren Moore on the rise Mallik Wilks, the return of Barry Bannan and George Byers and the one word that Sheffield Wednesday lacked in FA Cup against Fleetwood