Barnsley 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1: Fryatt is left hoping his time with Owls not yet up

The 27-year-old former Walsall striker ended a five-match loan spell with the Owls in fine style, volleying home a 60th-minute equaliser to cancel out Marcus Pedersen’s first-half effort.

Owls manager Dave Jones wants to keep Fryatt at Hillsborough, and Wednesday plan talks with parent club Hull City to extend the loan deal.

But with the Tigers currently missing strikers Danny Graham (knee) and Sone Aluko (calf), the Yorkshire Post understands Steve Bruce may want Fryatt as cover at the KC Stadium.

“I honestly don’t know,” said 
Fryatt, when asked about his future. “That’s between the two clubs but so far I’ve enjoyed my time here and it’s just a shame I haven’t, so far, been on a winning team.

“I missed the whole of last year. I need games. I’ve come in to Sheffield Wednesday and played games and scored a couple of goals.

“I’ve felt stronger and stronger with each game. I’ve been able to get myself in some goalscoring positions and really enjoyed it.”

Fryatt said he fears a return to Hull will see him dumped back on the sidelines, after his two goals in five Owls games made him joint-top scorer for the South Yorkshire strugglers.

“I’ll probably just be training again and not playing,” he said. “That’s not going to benefit me.

“You need to be playing. You can do everything in training but it’s not the same as a game. It’s completely different.

“It’s really hard to figure out where you’re at because you can feel great in training, but when it comes to the game, you think ‘wow, I’m so far off it’.

“I’m getting it back and, if I were to go back and there be nothing at the end of the week, it’d be a step back. We’ll see.”

Saturday’s draw meant the Owls have still to win this season, and are bottom of the Championship after chalking up eight draws from 12 matches.

Fryatt added: “I’ve enjoyed it, it’s just a shame we haven’t been able to get three points while I’ve been here.

“There are good signs. We need to turn these draws into wins.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time, so hopefully it continues.”

Barnsley were excellent for the first 55 minutes and deserved more than Pedersen’s 15th-minute opener.

The Norwegian striker saw his initial long-range effort smash against a post, and when David Fox fed the ball back, Pedersen flicked the ball up before volleying beyond a stranded Chris Kirkland.

The Reds refused to let Wednesday settle on the ball, hurrying the visitors into mistakes. In fact, the only half-chance the Owls had in the first half saw Roger Johnson head into the side-netting from Jeremy Helan’s far-post cross.

Paddy McCourt was a constant threat, one memorable, jinking run seeing him waltz by several Owls players before dragging his shot the wrong side of a post.

Returning Barnsley midfielder Stephen McPhail was robbed of possession in his own half – just like Reda Johnson for Barnsley’s goal – but this time David Perkins failed to punish the visitors as his long-range effort flew over the crossbar.

The introduction of target man Atdhe Nuhiu saw the Owls revert to a traditional 4-4-2, and suddenly they looked more incisive.

Yet it was a controversial incident which sparked Wednesday into life.

Barnsley defender Jean-Yves Mvoto punched the ball away from Nuhiu, after Michail Antonio’s long throw, but referee Robert Madley waved play on.

Furious Owls players surrounded the referee – Barnsley fan and former Test cricket umpire Dickie Bird admitted afterwards it was a penalty – but it saw the visitors embark on a seven-minute purple spell which saw Reds goalkeeper Jack Butland keep his side in the game.

The on-loan goalkeeper denied Nuhiu with a one-handed save when the Austrian striker looked set to score before somehow thwarting Antonio’s volley from six yards out. “Two world-class saves,” according to cricketing legend Bird.

But there was nothing Butland could do to deny Fryatt’s equaliser. Helan pumped the ball into the area, it bounced kindly up off Reda Johnson and Fryatt lashed home the equaliser.

“It was a good finish,” said Fryatt. “I don’t think I touched the ball more than five times in the whole game.

“It was a decisive equaliser and I thought we ended the game the stronger team.

“It was a typical derby game. They were much superior in the first half but in the second half we had the better chances. A draw was probably a fair result.

“We were poor in the first half. They pinned us in and our play was poor. I don’t think we strung more than two passes together.

“Words were said at a half-time, changes were made and I thought we looked the stronger team after that.

“There were a few good saves from their keeper and a penalty incident that the lads said was a blatant handball. We were a bit unlucky not to sneak three points.”

Pedersen – who nearly added a second goal when he just failed to latch on to McCourt’s deflected shot – was booked along with Reda Johnson after the pair squared up to one other after the striker’s foul.

“It was a 50/50 duel, and a free-kick to him. His reaction was he got into my face and we said some bad words,” said Pedersen. “He’s a big guy but I am not afraid.

“We both got a yellow card, so that was fair enough. It was nice to score a goal in a derby. I hit the post first and was a little bit frustrated – for one second – and then I get a good ball from Foxy. I had a good first touch and then knocked it in. We should win at home, but it was a fair result.”

Pedersen talks about his future in tomorrow’s Yorkshire Post.