Bristol City capitalised on a defensive lapse from Sheffield Wednesday to take a point courtesy of Ross McCrorie’s header four minutes from time.
The Robins stretched their winless run on the road to seven games, but showed plenty of fight and character in the game’s final quarter to find a second equaliser.
It was a different story for Wednesday though, with a comfortable opening period quickly forgotten in the second 45 with numerous errors at the back eventually punished.
Bright Spark For Wednesday Despite The Result
Djeidi Gassama has a fine game for the home side, sweeping home the opener. Josh Windass played in Yan Valery, and his first-time cross was finely finished by the Mauritanian forward. Just before the half-hour mark, his superb wing play set up a chance for Iké Ugbo when he advanced towards the by-line and cut the ball back unchallenged.
Gassama tested Max O’Leary in the City goal before the interval after cutting inside and trying to find the far corner. After the same movement early in the second half, he went for the other corner but dragged his effort wide. He received acclaim from three sides of Hillsborough when he departed the action on 70 minutes, a change which helped swing the pendulum towards the away side.
Robins Response
Both of City’s goals came from their first two shots on target, but the second came as no surprise given they were camped in their opponent’s half for the final twenty minutes of the game.
Mark Sykes supplied a wonderful delivery for the unmarked Nahki Wells to score with a thunderous diving header. But their parity lasted just two minutes, as Di’Shon Bernard skipped into the area and found the far corner with the ease of a seasoned striker. After Josh Windass threatened to finish the game as a contest, Liam Manning’s changes helped turn the game in favour of his side.
It wasn’t until the 87th minute that home keeper James Beadle was called into action to make his only save of the night from Sam Bell’s feeble effort. But there was nothing weak about the substitute’s effort three minutes later, as Beadle could only watch as his defence made a hash of clearing their lines before the Robins forward thundered an effort off the woodwork.
Writer’s View
This is a desperately disappointing result for Wednesday, highlighting their defensive frailties. If they don’t sort these issues out, then the Owls will fall short of a space in the top six. Credit to Bristol City, who came out fighting in the final twenty minutes and were duly rewarded with a point that keeps them above their opponents.
