Source: Daily_Mail
Sheffield Wed 2 Newcastle 2: Magpies denied as O'Connor stops the rot
James O'Connor's second-half equaliser denied Newcastle victory and spared managerless Sheffield Wednesday the indignity of a club-record sixth successive Coca-Cola Championship home defeat. [LNB]Luke Varney opened the scoring to put Wednesday ahead in the 14th minute but Kevin Nolan and Shola Ameobi hit back in quick succession to put the Magpies 2-1 up. [LNB] Enlarge Lift off: Kevin Nolan celebrates after scoring Newcastle's second goal[LNB]Yet Wednesday refused to surrender and were rewarded in the 59th minute when O'Connor fired home from six yards to earn his side a precious point in their battle against the drop. [LNB]The Owls have now gone 10 Championship games without a victory, but they at least stopped the rot on home soil to leave Newcastle frustrated. [LNB]This was the Magpies 10th game without defeat since losing at Scunthorpe on October 20 but the hosts worked hard for a deserved point. [LNB]Wednesday caretaker boss Sean McAuley - placed in temporary charge following the sacking of Brian Laws - made three changes from the side that lost to Swansea last time out. [LNB]That meant the Owls lined up in a 4-3-3 formation with Frank Simek, Tom Soares and Varney replacing Lewis Buxton, Sean McAllister and Leon Clarke respectively in the starting line-up. [LNB]Magpies boss Chris Hughton was forced into one change from the side which beat Middlesbrough last weekend with skipper Nicky Butt replacing Alan Smith. [LNB]Wednesday sought to put their recent troubles behind them inside the opening minute when former Liverpool midfielder Darren Potter smashed a fierce shot goalwards from 20 yards out. [LNB]Butt made a typically brave block to avert the danger but the Owls continued to probe and fashioned a decent opening a minute later. [LNB]Highly-rated full-back Tommy Spurr flighted a dangerous cross into the heart of the visitors' penalty box but Jose Enrique cleared the ball for a corner which Wednesday could not make pay. [LNB] It came as no surprise when Varney opened the scoring for Wednesday in the 14th minute with a fine header from O'Connor's right-wing cross. [LNB] Yet Newcastle showed their pedigree by hitting back with two goals in four minutes to forge ahead by the midway point in the first half. [LNB]In the 19th minute, Danny Guthrie spotted Nolan making tracks inside the home penalty box and he flighted in a cross from the right which the former Bolton captain dispatched with a firm header for his 11th goal of the season. [LNB]The goal lifted Newcastle and they struck again three minutes later when Jonas Gutierrez played an intelligent pass into Ameobi from the left flank and the homegrown striker rifled home a clinical right-foot shot from 18 yards. [LNB]Butt then warmed Owls goalkeeper Lee Grant's hands with a long-range strike as Newcastle sought to claim a killer third before half-time. [LNB]The closest Wednesday came to a first-half equaliser was Jermaine Johnson's shot which flashed wide in the 42nd minute. [LNB]Three minutes after the restart, Wednesday sought an equaliser when Steven Taylor was forced into a fine block to deny Varney from close range. [LNB]Johnson then fired wide for the Owls but their pressure told shortly before the hour mark when Varney headed a high ball into O'Connor's path and he rifled home a clinical right-foot drive from six yards. [LNB]Newcastle goalkeeper Steve Harper was left appealing in vain for a foul in the build-up. [LNB]Harper then did superbly well to parry Marcus Tudgay's header and Grant did likewise to deny Ameobi. [LNB]Both sides continued to push hard for a winning goal but it never came as the points were shared. [LNB] Hughton told high-flying Newcastle will not have to sell more players in JanuaryCoca-Cola Championship results, fixtures and more in our briliant Stats Zone[LNB]
