Barnsley vs Sheffield Wednesday. Sky Bet Championship.
Oakwell StadiumAttendance18,003.
Sunday 2 April 2017 22:35, UK
Sheffield Wednesday's Sam Winnall had a toy pig thrown at him on his return to Oakwell but thought he had silenced his former fans until Angus MacDonald's late equaliser gave Barnsley a 1-1 draw on Saturday.
Winnall risked the wrath of the Barnsley fans when he swapped Oakwell for Hillsborough earlier this season, and the home supporters booed him throughout, with one going a step further and launching a stuffed 'Peppa Pig' at him.
It was a reference to the unfavourable nickname Barnsley fans have for the Owls, but Winnall looked to have silenced them before MacDonald secured a Sky Bet Championship point in this South Yorkshire derby.
It was a scrappy start to the match, with the sense that both out-of-form sides needed an early goal to settle any derby-day nerves.
The first clear chance fell to Tom Bradshaw, who stole the ball from the Owls' defence but his shot from distance was watched wide by Keiren Westwood.
Adam Hammill was then tripped 20 yards out and, taking the free-kick himself, the winger bent it over the wall but also over Westwood's crossbar.
Bradshaw was a lively outlet for the home side and he almost put them in front with a header from Hammill's cross, but he could only direct the ball straight at Westwood.
In a good spell of pressure, Liverpool loanee Ryan Kent had a chance for the Tykes moments later as he flashed his shot wide after collecting the rebound from a corner.
Down the other end, Callum McManaman should have put the visitors in front, but the West Brom loanee's shot following a goalmouth scramble flew over the bar from 12 yards.
The sides went into the break level but a horror moment for Barnsley goalkeeper Adam Davies helped the Owls take the lead in the 50th minute.
Trying to watch the ball out for a goal-kick, Davies was caught out by Adam Reach, who kept the ball alive and poked it to Winnall. The striker tapped into the vacant goal from 10 yards out to open the scoring against his former club.
The visitors thought they had doubled their lead minutes later but Winnall's sliding finish from a free-kick was ruled out for offside.
Barnsley head coach Paul Heckingbottom introduced strikers Marley Watkins and Adam Armstrong in an attempt to change the game, and it almost had an immediate effect.
Armstrong broke down the left and shot from inside the box, only to be denied by the outstretched leg of Westwood.
Reach then had the chance to put the game out of sight, cutting in from the right onto his favoured left foot and curling a shot just over the bar.
MacDonald (90) got the unlikely equaliser in stoppage time, rising highest from Hammill's cross to power a header into the far corner.
With the game turned on its head, Hammill's curling shot was cleared off the line by Morgan Fox as Barnsley pushed for the winner. Matty James then shot over as the game finished 1-1.
Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom:
"I would have been upset if we had not got something out of the game, but I would have been delighted if we had got three points with the chances at the end.
"It shows the spirit in the team. What could go wrong did go wrong, but it shows the spirit and determination to come out and get something out of the game. We know Wednesday are a good side with the ball so we did a lot of work on our shape and I was pleased with it."
Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal:
"The goalkeepers almost didn't have a save to make in the first half but in the second half we started to press higher. We achieved one goal and should have had more to finish the game. During that period we didn't feel any real threats to our goal.
"We are training very hard with both offensive and defensive play and we felt there was no real threat to our goal until the end. The Sky Bet Championship is a very hard competition. The teams never give up, and it's good to achieve one goal but it's important to achieve a second to finish everything."
