Sheffield Wednesday shake themselves into action to draw 2-2 with Ipswich Town after dreadful start

At times the Owls seemed determined to make life more difficult for themselves and unlike many of the things they tried in the first three quarters of the game, they managed it expertly.

When they were not over-thinking things tactically they were over-playing at the back.

By the time they had their first shot on target – put into the net by George Byers – Ipswich had already scored twice. It would be the 89th minute before Michael Smith equalised.

But when all was said and done, they did at least get the job done. Or partly done, depending on your view of a point.

For the last 20 minutes (included stoppages) the hosts played with an intensity which matched that of a crowd irate at a really poor refereeing performance from Peter Wright but welcome as it was, it did make you wonder why they had not thought of it for the first 75.

Maybe with such a deep squad they feel it is only fair to the rest of the league to play with a handicap system but Ipswich have got off to a formidable start this season, and just carried on with what has taken them top of League One.

Up against a highly-rated young coach in Kieran McKenna, it was almost as if Darren Moore wanted to prove himself when it came to the dugout chess.

Initially the Owls were set up in a formation mimicking the Tractor Boys – somewhere between 3-4-3 and 3-3-3-1, depending how far forward Barry Bannan was. But it changed to 4-4-2 on the ball and 3-5-2 off it.

Which was odd, because the first two formations had Fisayo Dele-Bashiru playing on the right wing, the second two with him at centre-forward. And central midfielder Dele-Bashiru is neither. Mallik Wilks, who sat on the bench, can play both.

It was an act of mercy when the experiment came to an end, 12 minutes into the second half, Dele-Bashiru making way for an actual centre-forward in

Lee Gregory, and Josh Windass coming off the left and into the hole behind him and Smith.

Michael Ihiekwe hit a couple of unwise backpasses which saw David Stockdale boot the ball out either side of a Windass attempted turn on the ball which put it straight over the touchline. All three incidents, close together midway through the first half, drew groans from an increasingly agitated crowds.

By half-time it had turned into two waves of boos – one for the home players as they came off, then a bigger one for referee Wright, comfortably the poorest performer on the pitch.

The game started and finished by living up to its billing, former Middlesbrough midfielder Sam Morsy making space for a shot which hit Reece James, Bannan leaping on a poor pass to hit a shot which bounced over the crossbar from not far into Ipswich's half with Christian Walton AWOL, then Ipswich's goal all coming inside five minutes.

George Edmundson surged from the back as the central defenders do in a good back three but it was actually the ricochet from a tackle on him which Kayden Jackson ran inside Dominic Iorfa and onto to open the scoring.

From there, the Owls were allowed to see a decent amount of the ball but it took until Byers' goal for them to put a shot on target.

Not that Ipswich had another either until Lee Evans' deflected effort four minutes into the second half, but they just looked more comfortable, more clear in what they were trying to do and of course they had the cushion Jackson had plumped up for them.

Ipswich added to it, or rather the Owls did it for them, Iorfa putting a Wes Burns cross into his own net. Jackson was at his back but it was still an unnecessary panic, and to rub salt into the wound, the defender was immediately substituted.

At that point the tannoy appealed to fans not to throw objects onto the field as the referee went to collect some detritus for the third time. A linesman had been the target on the first two occasions, but this was all in the Ipswich penalty area.

The response of the players was rather better, Bannan playing a free-kick short to Marvin Johnson, whose deep cross was tapped in by Byers, arriving at the far post. Just three minutes after the second goal, Hillsborough had something to get behind.

There were 15 minutes of regulation time to get an equaliser and the Owls used all but one of them.

Bannan nearly scored direct from a free-kick at the right touchline and Johnson's half-volley from a half-cleared corner hit a crowd of defenders.

But in the 89th minute James put a cross over and Smith cleverly got just enough on his header to score his third goal in four matches.

In keeping with the performance of the officials, the goal stood despite Smith being offside.

An optimistic-looking Alex Mighten penalty appeal when his path crossed with Marcus Harness was as much as Wednesday could magic up in stoppage time but they had used up their favour from Wright.

The relief at full-time was palpable, but the frustration not far behind.

Sheffield Wednesday: Stockdale; Iorfa (Mighten 81), Ihiekwe, James; Palmer, Byers, Johnson; Dele-Bashiru (Gregory 57), Bannan, Windass; Smith.

Unused substitutes: Vaulks, Wilks, Paterson, Bakinson, Dawson.

Ipswich Town: Walton; Woolfenden, Edmundson, Davis (Leigh 55); Donacien, Evans, Morsy,Jackson (Keogh 81); Burns, Chaplin (Harness 68); John-Jules (Ladapo 68).

Unused substitutes: Ball, Ahadme, Hladky.

Referee: P Wright (Merseyside).