There were as many questions as clear-cut chances as Huddersfield Town survived a couple of scares to seal a derby point.
How often does a shot (Stevie May’s) hit both the underside of the bar and the inside of a post and not go in?
Should Sheffield Wednesday have had a second-half penalty for Joel Lynch’s challenge on substitute Chris Maguire, who was cautioned for simulation?
How many times was May going to get away with clattering into keeper Joe Murphy without being punished?
Should Chris Powell have paired Grant Holt and Nahki Wells from the off rather than introducing the latter 66 minutes in?
And can Town pick the positives from this hard-working performance and pick up a first victory in four Championship outings at Bolton Wanderers next Saturday?
Wednesday, now without a win in 10 in the league and 11 in all matches, will rightly say they came the closer to a breakthrough goal in front of the Sky cameras.
May’s well-struck second-half effort somehow stayed out before Murphy, making a bright league debut in place of back injury victim Alex Smithies, made a great stoppage-time save to thwart Royston Drenthe.
And while visiting boss Stuart Gray called the penalty claim “stonewall”, home keeper Murphy admitted he feared the worst when Maguire went down.
But Town had chances to beat Wednesday for the first time in four visits to the John Smith’s, where the South Yorkshire side have claimed eight of the last 12 points available.
Wells had a string of shots after coming on for Harry Bunn, but couldn’t get the better of keeper Kieren Westwood and take his season’s goal haul into double figures.
On another day, the Bermudian would surely have scored.
But Wednesday are not only one of the Championship’s draw specialists with 10 in 18 games (the same as Charlton Athletic), they also have the second-meanest defence, with just 14 goals conceded, one more than Middlesbrough.
It was easy to see why, with Westwood solid, ex-Leeds United man Tom Lees making some telling interventions and left-back Jeremy Helan working hard in an intriguing contest with Sean Scannell.
The Town man did get goalside of his marker once, but his shot whistled just over, preventing a perfect celebration of his new contract.
Gray’s well-organised side did good containing jobs on both Bunn and Grant Holt.
Meanwhile, while it was fairly even in midfield, where on-loan West Ham United teenager Diego Poyet looked calm and composed on his first Town outing.
Jacob Butterfield played some incisive passes, but like colleague Conor Coady, who made way for Danny Ward in Powell’s attacking-minded double change, has had far more influential games
Credit Town for shutting out (just) May, who won his first Scotland cap against England last Tuesday, Drenthe, the Dutchman on loan from Reading with whom Paul Dixon had a top tussle, old boy Gary Taylor-Fletcher, given a great ovation by Town fans when he was substituted, and the rest.
It’s now four clean sheets under Powell, another point (17 in total under his command) and six home games without defeat.
Brentford are the next visitors on Saturday week, but all the focus is now on Neil Lennon’s Bolton, who drew at Blackpool on Saturday.
Town claimed a 1-0 win at the Lancashire ground last season, and another three-point haul would be very welcome!
