Source: FOOTYMAD
Owls held by non-league side in the North East
Wednesday stuttering in pre-season friendlies Sheffield Wednesday had to come from behind to earn a draw in Tuesday evening’s pre-season warm up game against Darlington at The Northern Echo Arena. The home side, going through a rebuilding process of their own following financial difficulties and relegation from League Two last season, came into the game having only been beaten by a late goal against Premier League Sunderland at the weekend. Alan Irvine welcomed back Captain Darren Purse after he sat out the weekend defeat at Grimsby but there was still no run out for new boys Clinton Morrison and Giles Coke. Just over 12 hundred soles braved the adverse weather conditions and saw the Owls have the ascendancy in the first half though they failed to create too many clear opportunities for the strike partnership of Mellor and Tudgay. Youngster Arron Jameson started in goal in the continued absence of Lee Grant and although he was rarely tested in the first half he had to pick the ball out of his net early in the second as Darlington took the lead from the penalty spot following a foul by Lewis Buxton. Wednesday made plenty of changes during the second half and one of the changes, Heffernan grabbed the equaliser with a scuffed shot after good work from Sedgwick and Johnson. There was little else of note to report as the game petered out to a draw leaving Irvine with plenty to ponder for the three remaining pre-season matches ahead of the start of the new season. With many of the players having had ample opportunity to build up their fitness in the warm up games to date the final few games are likely to provide a clearer picture of what Irvine’s starting line-up and formation may be when Dagenham & Redbridge come to Hillsborough on August 7th.
