Late, late show at Huddersfield keeps Pedersen’s Owls unbeaten after “unacceptable” first half
Sunday 11 October 2026 · By Paul Hendry
Henrik Pedersen did not dress it up. Sheffield Wednesday’s first half at Huddersfield Town on Saturday was, in his word, “unacceptable”. But by the time the final whistle blew, deep into stoppage time, his side had taken a point from a Yorkshire derby that looked lost.
Wednesday trailed 2–0 with two minutes of normal time remaining. Joe Taylor had scored seconds after half-time and Derensili Sanches Fernandes added a second on 68 minutes, and the Owls had not managed a single shot before the break. The comeback began on 88 minutes when Ibane Bowat headed into his own net under pressure.
Then came the controversy. Liam Cooper won a header and was caught in the face by Marcus Harness. Referee Ed Duckworth initially gave a corner, but after a long delay and a consultation between the officials he awarded a penalty. Jamal Lowe, League One’s Player of the Month for August, stepped up and scored on 98 minutes.
Huddersfield head coach Martin Drury called the decision “confusing” and “bizarre”, but Pedersen had no doubts. He said the penalty was clearly correct after Cooper was hit in the face, and he praised Cooper as a “warrior”. A PA headline captured Pedersen’s overall view: Wednesday “deserved their point after dramatic late comeback”.
The draw extends Wednesday’s unbeaten league run to six matches, with three wins and three draws. They sit seventh on 15 points, but they have played only eight games, one or two fewer than most of the clubs above them. Win those games in hand and the Owls would be right in the automatic promotion picture.
That is a remarkable position given where the club was in the summer, when administration and relegation from the Championship had cast a long shadow. Pedersen’s side have quickly established themselves as one of the most resilient teams in the division.
The fixture list now offers a chance to build momentum. AFC Wimbledon visit Hillsborough on Saturday (15:00), with Johnnie Jackson’s side coming off a last-gasp defeat at Plymouth. Wednesday then travel to Notts County on Tuesday 20 October (19:45) and to Doncaster Rovers for a South Yorkshire derby on Saturday 24 October.
The contrast between the two halves was stark. Pedersen made his feelings clear at half-time, and Wednesday came out with far more intent, even if the goals did not arrive until the final minutes. The fact that they kept pushing, with the game apparently gone, says plenty about the spirit in the squad.
With 15 goals scored and only eight conceded, Wednesday also have one of the best goal differences in the division. That balance, combined with the games in hand, makes them a side the clubs above will be watching closely.
Cambridge United, one of the surprise packages of the season, visit on Tuesday 27 October. Four games in 11 days will test the depth of Pedersen’s squad, but Saturday showed his players do not know when they are beaten.
Hillsborough has been home to Sheffield Wednesday since 1899. For a visiting supporter it is a proper old English ground: four distinct stands, tight streets around Leppings Lane, and a noisy Kop facing you from the far end. The official address is Hillsborough, Sheffield, S6 1SW. Capacity is in the mid-thirty thousands when every stand is in use, though figures change with safety work, so treat match-day announcements as gospel.
You will be in the West Stand, still widely called the Leppings Lane End. It sits behind the goal on the western side of the pitch. The usual allocation is the upper tier, often around three to four thousand seats, with the lower tier added when the away following is large. There are supporting pillars in this stand. If your ticket is marked restricted view, believe it. Wheelchair spaces for visiting fans are normally in the West Lower, with step-free access via the marked accessible entrance on Leppings Lane.
Opposite you is the Spion Kop on the Penistone Road side, the big home end of more than eleven thousand seats and the loudest part of the ground. Along the touchline to your right (as you look at the pitch from the West Stand) is the North Stand, a long single-tier cantilever with no roof posts. To your left is the South Stand, the main stand: tunnel, dugouts, directors’ box, hospitality and, above it, the Grandstand family area. Goals sit in front of the West Stand and the Kop, not the side stands.
Tickets for away fans come through your own club, not the Hillsborough ticket office on the day. Digital tickets are the norm; scan at the West Stand turnstiles on Leppings Lane (upper-tier gates are at the back of the stand). Children aged 15 and under must be with an adult. Bag checks are routine, so travel light. Alcohol is sold inside selected concourses, but service can stop before kick-off or at half-time depending on the fixture.
Sheffield station is just under four miles away. The Supertram Yellow route to Leppings Lane drops you a short walk from the away end; the Blue route towards Malin Bridge is useful if you prefer to walk from Hillsborough Park. Buses from the city centre run along Penistone Road. If you drive, pre-book a space. Streets immediately around the ground fill early and are often restricted after full time. Away coaches usually set down on or near Leppings Lane and park as directed by stewards, commonly around Claywheels Lane.
Pubs next to the stadium are home territory and will often refuse away colours. Drink in the city centre first — spots such as The Howard near the station or the Red Deer on Pitt Street are the usual advice — or use the Railway Hotel on Penistone Road North if you want somewhere closer that has historically taken visitors. After the final whistle the Wednesday Tap on site is a home pub; visiting fans are better heading straight back to the tram or a booked taxi rather than lingering on Leppings Lane.
The view from the West Upper is decent if you are not behind a stanchion: you look straight down the pitch toward the Kop, with the South Stand tunnel on one flank. The concourse is functional rather than plush. Food is standard ground fare. Stewards will point you to toilets and accessible facilities. Keep your ticket handy if you leave the seating bowl.
Hillsborough is also a place of remembrance. The 1989 disaster happened at this end of the ground. Behave with ordinary decency: no chants that treat that history as banter, and give memorials the space they deserve. Do that, follow the segregation, and you will get a noisy, traditional Championship afternoon in a stadium that still feels like a football ground rather than a bowl.