Millwall were denied all three points as Gabriel Otegbayo’s first senior goal secured a share of the spoils for Sheffield Wednesday in a 2-2 draw at Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon.
Wednesday took the lead in the sixth minute, former Southampton player Yan Valery finished off Anthony Musaba’s cross.
Japhet Tanganga was denied by James Beadle in the 11th minute before Casper De Norre’s effort was cleared off the line as the Lions searched for an equaliser.
Ike Ugbo had a brilliant chance to double the Yorkshire side’s lead in the 42nd minute after Joe Bryan was adjudged to have fouled Musaba. However, Ugbo blasted the spot kick over the bar to keep the scoreline at 1-0 going into the break.
The South Londoners got themselves back level in the 65th minute. George Saville’s free-kick was deflected into the path of George Honeyman, who scored his second goal of the season with a composed finish to beat Beadle.
The game was turned on its head in the 85th minute as Lions substitute Ryan Wintle fired an effort towards goal after the ball broke to him, his shot had too much power for Beadle, who was unable to keep it out.
However, just 90 seconds later, the home side hit back. A cross into the box was headed on by Josh Windass into the path of Otegbayo, who finished off the chance smartly.
It was a first point for new Lions head coach Alex Neil, who gave his verdict to Millwall TV.
“Based on the game it was a great point for us, ” said Neil.
“First half we didn’t do well enough, we were lucky the scoreline was only 1-0. We had a chat with the lads at half-time and in the second half we responded brilliantly, scored two goals and made it much more difficult for Sheffield Wednesday, albeit they did still have their chances.
“Naturally when you go 2-1 up, you are disappointed that you don’t see the game out, particularly as defensively we are quite strong. The goal is disappointing, particularly from a set play as we should spot it and deal with the ball down the side. If we do that I think we defend our box and potentially go on and get the three points.”
There was a notable improvement from the South Londoners in the second half.
Neil was asked what he tweaked during the interval.
He said: “We need to understand where we are at the moment. You naturally want to open up the pitch and play passes along it but that doesn’t suit us just now. That’s the long and short of it.
“We are going to be much more direct and play off second balls and once we land on them we have players at the top end of the pitch who can create opportunities for us. I just simplified it. I said to the guys ‘stop messing around at the back because what we are doing is, the minute the ball goes forward we are dropping off and not getting the second balls which means the pitch is too big for us’.
“We simplified it by saying play it forward, keep some sustained pressure in their half. We got some chances off the back of that and it changed the game in our favour.”
Honeyman’s equaliser was a big momentum shifter in the contest as the Lions had found it hard to break down their hosts.
“It changed the tide of the game, ” said Neil.
“Sheffield Wednesday had been on top in the first half, had more chances, and missed a penalty. In the second half, we just needed something to give us a little bit of belief. The ball landed with George, it was a great touch and finish and it gave us that bit of belief, the fans got behind us and then we go and get the second goal through a great strike from Wints. We are disappointed we didn’t see the game out but, based on the game, we are delighted with a point.”
Scoring goals has been a real problem for the Lions this season, coming into this game they were the division’s lowest scorers with 22 goals. This was the first time they had found the back of the net more than once since the 3-1 win over Preston in October.
Neil said: “What it shows is that if we play the way that suits the current personnel that we’ve got, we will get results, there’s no question about that. What we don’t want to do is be too drastic with our changes and how we approach things, certainly at this moment in time. That would be negligent for me and a bit dangerous for us as a team.
“It might not be pretty at times but we played better last week and didn’t win the game. Our job is to make sure we give the lads the best opportunity to pick up points.”
PICTURES: BRIAN TONKS