David McGoldrick netted his 14th goal of the season as Town drew 1-1 with Leeds United at Elland Road. McGoldrick opened the scoring on 57 but the home side equalised five minutes later via a Ross McCormack penalty, Luke Chambers having fouled Cameron Stewart.
Jay Tabb and Paul Anderson replaced Stephen Hunt and Carlos Edwards in the wide roles in an otherwise unchanged Town line-up.
Hunt — who started only his third game since last April on Saturday - dropped to the bench, while Edwards was left out of the 18 having been subbed at half-time against Reading on Saturday with a groin problem. New loan signing Frazer Richardson was on the bench.
Leeds striker Luke Varney was missing from their squad with Blackburn having been linked. El Hadji Diouf replaced him alongside top scorer McCormack.
Town, in their red and black, started brightly, Daryl Murphy hitting a shot against a defender in the opening minute. But after that there was little action of note at either end in a scrappy opening quarter of an hour.
McGoldrick volleyed a Murphy cross wide having been found in space on the left of the area in the 19th minute, although the game was increasingly being played in the Town half but with Leeds so far unable to create an opening.
As the game moved towards the half hour the Blues began to get on top, winning a couple of corners on the right, Cole Skuse seeing a 30-yard strike deflect wide off Christophe Berra from the second.
On 31 Tabb crossed from the left and Anderson beyond the far post nodded it down to McGoldrick, who scuffed a shot on the turn which Jason Pearce cleared from just in front of the line.
A minute later, McGoldrick played in Ryan Tunnicliffe but the ball got caught under his feet and Tom Lees — wearing a bandage having cut his head — put it behind for a corner.
From the resultant flagkick, the ball was half-cleared back to Anderson, who teed up Tunnicliffe 20 yards out. Leeds keeper Paddy Kenny did well to get down to his right to save the on-loan Manchester United man’s shot and then to block from Murphy as he looked to cut the ball back across the box. Eventually the ball was played back in and skipper Chambers headed over.
Blues keeper Dean Gerken made his first save of the evening in the 37th minute when he got across to his right to push Rudi Austin’s low 25-yard strike wide.
McCormack should have put his side in front in the 41st minute but the ball flicked off his head when six yards out having been found by Stephen Warnock’s cross from the left with the impetus now very much back with the home side.
That was as close as either side would get before referee David Webb blew his whistle to signal the end of the first half.
After a very quiet first 20 minutes both teams had had spells on top and created a couple of openings.
Overall, the half-time scoreline was probably a fair reflection, but McCormack will feel he should have put his side in front with his header.
At the other end, Kenny saved well from Tunnicliffe and then Murphy, while McGoldrick failed to connect properly with his two opportunities.
Tunnicliffe went close shortly after the restart, volleying not far wide from the edge of the box after a Cresswell cross from the left had been half-cleared.
The Blues were starting the second period strongly and in the 50th minute Tunnicliffe beat Kenny to Anderson’s ball over the top on the right of the area but Lees cut out his pass across the box towards McGoldrick. A minute later, Cameron Stewart shot over for the home side.
Town were a whisker away from going in front in the 54th minute when Murphy rolled Jimmy Kebe and hit a low ball across the six-yard box but just in front of McGoldrick and Tabb.
The Blues finally gained the lead they deserved in the 57th minute, although in somewhat fortunate circumstances.
Tunnicliffe regained possession from Kebe having given it away moments earlier and found McGoldrick on the left. The Town top scorer cut inside Sam Byram before hitting a 25-yard shot which Kenny completely misjudged and allowed to creep past him to his right, just inside the post.
The ball appeared to bounce awkwardly just in front of the keeper but even so there was little power in McGoldrick’s shot and the Town striker really shouldn’t have been celebrating his 14th goal of the season.
However, the lead was to last only five minutes. Stewart took the ball round the outside of Chambers on the left of the area, the Blues’ skipper slid in and took the winger’s legs from under him. Referee Webb pointed straight at the spot.
Whites’ top scorer McCormack took the spotkick and slammed his 19th goal of the season straight down the middle, the home side’s first shot on target.
The momentum swung back towards Leeds after their equaliser, the Blues coming under pressure from a number of corners, one of which led to a goalmouth scramble. Austin saw an effort blocked, then McCormack’s net-bound strike deflected wide.
Frank Nouble replaced Anderson in the 72nd minute as Town went to 4-3-3, then a minute later McCormack hit 25-yard shot which Gerken did well to push past his left post.
Nouble almost seized on Warnock’s hesitation on the edge of his area in the 79th minute, then Skuse was booked for a foul on Byram on halfway.
Warnock sent a dangerous ball across the Town box as the match moved into its scheduled final 10 minutes, but too far ahead of McCormack, sub Dominic Poleon and Kebe.
Neither side was able to grab the three points in four minutes of injury time, McGoldrick curling a late freekick from the left into Kenny’s arms.
A draw was probably a fair result. After an even and not overly exciting first half, the Blues were the better side during the early stages of the second and had threatened on a number of occasions prior to McGoldrick’s rather gifted goal.
Once the home side had got back on terms through McCormack’s penalty, they dominated but only seriously tested Gerken on a couple of occasions.
Boss McCarthy is unlikely to be too disappointed with another point on the road, the Blues having picked up all three at home against Reading on Saturday.
Leeds: Kenny, Byram (Peltier 88), Pearce, Lees, Warnock, Kebe, Brown (Mowatt 63), Austin, Stewart, McCormack, Diouf (Poleon 63). Unused: Cairns, Murphy, Pugh, Wootton.
Town: Gerken, Chambers, Berra, Smith, Cresswell, Anderson (Nouble 72), Skuse, Tunnicliffe, Tabb, Murphy, McGoldrick. Unused: Loach, Mings, Richardson, Hunt, Wordsworth, Taylor. Referee: David Webb (Lancashire). Att: 20,461 (Town: 500).