Bruce can’t Reach win on home bow
Foster 7; Janmaat 6, Mariappa 6, Cathcart 7, Holebas 7; Doucoure 6, Capoue 6; Hughes 6 (Chalobah 89th), Sema 5 (Gray (46th) 7); Deeney 6, Deulofeu 5 (Cleverley 81st) EVERTON: Pickford 7; Kenny 6, Keane 6, Zouma
6, Digne 6; Gueye 5, Gomes 5 (Walcott (64th)
5); Richarlison 5 (Bernard (68th) 5), Davies 6, Sigurdsson 6 (Calvert-Lewin 76th), Tosun 5 Ben Foster L Probert QPR (A), Feb 15 Cardiff (A), Feb 26 STEVE BRUCE might feel like heading straight back to the Caribbean for another break after this frustrating afternoon in South Yorkshire.
It was a first home match for the new Owls boss, who was appointed at the start of January but didn’t take the reins for a month as he honoured a booked family holiday.
And for 45 minutes the signs were decent, before Reading came back into the contest – although they didn’t really looking like scoring either.
Bruce, back in the Steel City nearly two decades after he was manager at Sheffield United, will point to one great save from Emi Martinez to deny Steven Fletcher and Adam Reach’s injury-time missed sitter.
But if he wanted an early glimpse of what has bothered and baffled previous managers, then Wednesday provided it with a Jekyll and Hyde performance.
He said: “There are times when you would not have sent a lifeboat to that.
“It was frustrating. We knew when we saw the weather forecast it would be like that, the worst conditions to play in.
“The reception from the supporters has been quite remarkable.
“A bit different to the last club I was at, that’s for certain.
“I hope to put a smile on supporters’ faces and it’s always a positive to keep a clean sheet.”
The signs were good in the first half when Reach was able to strut his stuff to devastating effect and Reading chased shadows. Sam Hutchinson was guilty of a dreadful miss just before half-time.
Bruce added: “Sam had one glorious chance.
“Reach was the best player on the pitch in the first half and he deserved to be the match-winner. But we starved him of the ball in the second half.”
Whatever new Reading manager Jose Gomes said to his players at the interval, they came out with renewed purpose.
Lewis Baker went closest but was denied by Wednesday goalkeeper Keiren Westwood.
Gomes said: “I am not happy with the way we played today.
“A lot of direct football in heavy ground and windy weather.
“The idea was to play football and we just defended in the first half, we were more concerned to stop offensive action.
“In the last five matches we lose one but yes, we need to win.
“To draw every game to the end of the season is not enough.
“My players are doing a lot of very good things. There are very good signs giving us strong hope for the future.”