Town boss Mick McCarthy was pleased with the Blues’ second away point in the week and felt that the 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday was a fair result.

“I’m delighted with the point,” he said. “I thought we were excellent in the first half and I think we’ve had to show a different side to us in the second half in terms of defending and being tougher and resolute.

“And especially on the back of the second half on Tuesday I thought we were terrific and defended well.

“That was always going to be a question mark on the back of Tuesday; going out in the second half and having to defend, and I thought we were excellent.

“Because of Tuesday’s result, being three goals in front and then conceding. But there was no hangover, they were all prepared to do it.

“It was a one-off that, it happens and it did on Tuesday, but they deserved it because they played well. And I think today I think we were the better side in the first half and probably Sheffield Wednesday shaded the second.”

Both sides had further chances with Cole Skuse hitting the woodwork for the Blues in the first half and Jermaine Johnson for the Owls in the second.

“If, buts and maybes,” McCarthy added. “If we scored to go 2-1 up, who knows what happens. It would have silenced the crowd because we were playing well.

“Likewise, if they’d scored it probably would have ended 2-1 to them. But ours was considerably earlier and it would have changed the course of the game completely. But it didn’t and I’m delighted with a point.”

Regarding Michail Antonio’s equaliser two minutes after Paul Anderson’s 12th minute opener for the Blues, the Town boss wasn’t too harsh on his defenders.

“Let me tell you, [Adthe Nuhiu] is 6ft 6in tall, so I might have struggled to win the header against him, I think we got crossed over in the box.

“We maybe could have stopped the cross but somebody that big is difficult to deal with. Maybe we could have done better but we didn’t and that’s what we’ve got. But what is nice that we didn’t concede any more.

“I thought we were the better side in the first half, we played really well, I was delighted with us. In the second half I thought they improved and we’ve had to defend, so they’ll be happy with their second half performance.”

Owls boss Dave Jones agreed: “I think they had the first and we had the second. They hit the post, we hit the bar.

“It probably took us a long time to get going and, as I’ve said before, we’re trying to get four players fit within the games programme.

“We always knew that three games in a week for some of them, certainly the ones that haven’t played a for a long time, was always going to be a tall ask, but I thought Stephen McPhail got through it well enough and Roger Johnson.

“Matty Fryatt’s thighs and hamstrings are screaming but we thought it was worth the gamble to play him to try and get him over that. I think if we’d have had a fit, sharp Matty, then he scores just before half-time.

“But I think a point was a fair assessment. They probably did have the better of the first half and we certainly had the better of the second.”

Photo: Action Images

sereneblue added 19:07 - Oct 5 Yawn!
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Michael11 added 19:17 - Oct 5 I've just got home from the game (only live an hour from Sheffield), and i'm pretty deflated after that. Sheffield Wednesday were so poor and they were there for the taking but we just sat back and settled for a draw. First half we were very good, but second half we showed no attacking intention whatsoever. We played twice as good at Wigan and came away with nothing, so i suppose we can't moan too much. Also, I thought Anderson and Murphy were brilliant today. On a bad note, i'm really not liking Chambers at right back and don't believe Berra is better than him in the middle.

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Pip50 added 19:17 - Oct 5 Macca Dids Scpuse dodah and thingmy bob all did well. What a load of bull. Roll on the Irish offer. Point at a side not having won this season is defiantly mid table medoricrity but then again we should expect this with current regime. Bring back Keane at least he had passion.
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HALLSJ added 19:31 - Oct 5 Pip, what a muppet u sound. They may not have won this season but they have only lost 4 of 10
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shoopdelang added 19:32 - Oct 5 Pip50 you are either really pi*sed or just a full on f***ing idiot
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DurhamTownFan added 19:35 - Oct 5 'going out in n the second half and having.to defend' Something tells me we shut up shop again in that team talk!
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This_girl_is_blue added 19:39 - Oct 5 Re Pip: or a budgie.
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Pip50 added 19:44 - Oct 5 Boys boys boys or is it girls easy to throw insults they are bottom of the table where is your logic if we are to be better than mid table.
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Blue041273 added 19:53 - Oct 5 Pip It was your comment about bringing back Keane. In the ITFC world such a comment could only be made by a Budgie or a raving idiot. Tell us, which one are you?
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battyblue added 19:57 - Oct 5 Why do MM keep coming out with this cr-p after every game ie i thought we were excellent and really pleased with a point he must be watching a different game to most of us i am really pleased with with the team in most respects but why is he so stubborn with playing players out of position that are not working to our advantage although i like Berra for instance the defence is looking a little shaky to say the least and why o why cant Wordsworth get on the pitch now and again everything to gain and nothing to loose by putting him in beside Skuse for 20 mins or so.

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HALLSJ added 19:57 - Oct 5 Pip logic says of their 6 draws if theyd won just a couple theyd we about 14th. Points away unless ur top two material are always useful. So much of an improvement from the start of last October wouldnt u agree?
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blueboy1981 added 19:58 - Oct 5 ........ MM will never be dissatisfied with a point - surely you know that by now.
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warktheline added 20:00 - Oct 5 pip50,stats can be misleading....maybe you've been mislead with Keano's stats.Keep grinding MM and boys.Top 8 finish no doubt about that.
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whosroundisitanyway added 20:03 - Oct 5 Pip50 Your'e a total f@(£!ng idiot Go away & come back when you have the slightest semblance of an idea about football.
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Pip50 added 20:16 - Oct 5 Yep moron time !! Always helpful if you can string a sentence.
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WestNorfolk_Blue added 20:20 - Oct 5 Good first half, followed by struggling second half is becoming a habit. I think MM approach is pick up a point away and win at home. OK in principle but some teams should be there for the taking. Still compared to last year!!
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AdScHi9678 added 20:50 - Oct 5 A point at Hillsborough against an awful Sheffield Wednesday side is hardly something to be 'delighted' about.
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TimmyH added 20:51 - Oct 5 If we were that Excellent first half Mick against a team still trying to win their first game why weren't we in front? maybe we were scared Steve McClaren would enter their dressing room at half time as well. The over riding feeling I have is when we play top teams like QPR, Wigan etc. and lose and play not too bad is 'oh well look at the players they have but we made a good account of ourselves' but when we play the lower clubs and get a point and play less well we're content with the point or 'delighted' as Mick put it. Too easily pleased at just picking up an away point against anybody springs to mind!

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BriggEnd added 21:04 - Oct 5 Its simple we are a team slowly but surely getting there. The last two games were there for the taking better teams in this division would have taken full points this week if they had played derby and sheffield weds we cannot hold on to leed at the moment and the worrying thing is in every away game second half we are defending for our lives. We dont have a strong enough bench or a game winner at the moment. We as fans are riding a roller coaster at the moment but this ride has more downs than ups especially away from home.

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kalypso added 21:33 - Oct 5 I'm pleased with a point. "Likewise, if they'd scored it would have ended 2-1 to them." You can't argue with that logic, MM.
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TedTurnip added 21:40 - Oct 5 Into October and without an away win and the tough opening matches have long passed. It is not rocket science to see that we have defensive problems STILL. Come on somebody, ME with the cash or MM with the plan lets fix this old open wound.
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Michael11 added 22:01 - Oct 5 Paul Taylor got man of the match for Peterborough today....Just saying.
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thebeat added 23:20 - Oct 5 4 words to sort the defence out. Richard Stearman, Stephen Henderson. get them in on loan now and agree a fee with their clubs for January. get your finger out Evans.
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StuartBrett8 added 23:21 - Oct 5 still better than last season :)
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Mark added 23:26 - Oct 5 I can understand some negativity as Sheff Wed hadn't won all season and after losing a 4-1 lead at Derby, but we didn't lose either match and we are 11th in the table going into the international break. As Keane was mentioned, just a reminder that on 30th October in his first season we were bottom of the table with no wins and seven defeats.
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