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IT MIGHT well be worth asking Sheffield Wednesday’s programme editor for a prediction of the next set of lottery numbers.

Saturday’s big Yorkshire derby edition included an article entitled ‘Comebacks and Throwaways’.

Cue a Christmas cracker of a contest – with bells and baubles on – and a reminder of what makes sport so captivating.

It was breathtaking stuff as Town led 2-0 within 16 minutes only for Wednesday to hit back with two in three minutes before the half-hour mark.

By the 75th minute, the Owls were 4-2 up and seemingly heading for a sixth straight win.

But the home fans in a bumper 28,600 crowd who were partying at that point had reckoned without Jordan Rhodes.

The strike star who had already beaten Stephen Bywater with two headers then fired in two precise shots, the second of them coming in the sixth minute of time added on.

Now Town fans were on their feet with the Wednesdayites, whose side had conceded only five goals in all their previous nine home league games put together, reflecting on a draw which must have seemed like a defeat.

To add icing to the cake, Rhodes’ quartet were all put past a keeper coached by his dad Andy, who remained at the mouth of the tunnel to give his son a heartwarming hug as he finally left the pitch after taking the acclaim of the travelling fans.

Time will tell just how precious this point will prove to be – both in terms of the League I table and psychologically.

But after two defeats on the trot, the grit and character which staved off a third was impressive and good to see.

Boss Lee Clark rung the changes after the 1-0 home loss to Bournemouth, with Gary Naysmith, Oscar Gobern, ex-Owls man Tommy Miller, Lee Novak and Gary Roberts in and Calum Woods, Scott Arfield and Jon Parkin (on the bench), Anton Robinson (left out of the 16) and injured Damien Johnson the men to miss out.

Town made probably their best start to a match so far this season.

Rhodes had already served warning of what was to come with headers from crosses by Novak and Miller which went just over and just wide before he opened the scoring in the 12th minute, placing the ball in the roof of the net from Roberts’ centre from the left.

The lead was doubled within four minutes, with Gobern, Novak and Miller all involved in a slick counter-attack which finished with Roberts crossing for Rhodes to notch at the near post.

Amazingly, Rhodes came within inches of a third, with his lofted shot from Naysmith’s neat pass down the left going across the face of goal and narrowly wide.

Wednesday hadn’t had a look-in up to press, but after Chris O’Grady came close from David Prutton’s nod-down in the 25th minute, they netted twice in three minutes.

First Ben Marshall got the better of Ward to put in a cross from the left which captain Rob Jones headed home at the far post.

Then, in the 28th minute, Reda Johnson applied the finishing touch from Marshall’s pull-back after Sanchez Watt’s shot hit the bar and Ian Bennett blocked from O’Grady.

Hillsborough was rocking, but Town got to the break without conceding again, although O’Grady hit the side-netting after being put in by Chris Lines in the 42nd minute.

Naysmith tested Bywater with a long-range effort a minute into the second half, and after Alex Bruce escaped with only yellow card after handling as Owls substitute Ryan Lowe broke through, Gobern was only just off target with a header from a Roberts corner.

It was evenly-balanced, but Marshall tilted the game towards the home team with a fine solo goal in the 63rd minute when he broke down the left and beat Jack Hunt before cutting in and curling a shot past Bennett and into the far corner.

Town had a great chance to level in the 74th minute when Donal McDermott, on as a substitute and looking lively, put in a deep cross which Rhodes laid off to Novak, who was unable to get a clean connection under pressure from Prutton.

And the visitors were made to rue the missed opportunity even more when O’Grady headed home from Lines’ 75th-minute free-kick, awarded for the foul on Marshall which brought Miller a caution (his Town teammates Peter Clarke and Gobern also went into the book).

Town responded within three minutes when Roberts, having been set free by the busy Gobern, threaded a pass into the path of Rhodes, who registered with a low shot.

And after Bennett had foiled Lowe (Jose Semedo put the rebound narrowly wide) and with the Wednesday supporters whistling frantically and Town pushing forward desperately, Rhodes latched onto Clarke’s through ball and swung the same right foot – with the same result.

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