Early lead but Cats must settle for point
GEORGE Honeyman scored his first league goal as Sunderland’s unbeaten start to the season continued.
The 22-year-old academy product netted his first goal for the club to win last week’s Carabao Cup tie at Bury, and for more than an hour it looked as though his early strike at Hillsborough might be enough to sink Sheffield Wednesday as Sunderland’s defence stood firm in the face of heavy pressure.
But David Jones’ stunning strike 20 minutes from the end was the spark for a late Wednesday surge which saw Gary Hooper hit the woodwork and Honeyman clear off the line, to preserve Sunderland’s point.
Simon Grayson named the same starting XI for a third successive game, and this draw means the Black Cats have now taken five points from their first three games.
Sunderland made the perfect start, taking full advantage when Wednesday were temporarily down to 10 men after right-back Jack Hunt was off the field having required treatment for an early knock.
James Vaughan fed the ball to McGeady on the left flank where Hunt should have been stationed, and his low cross found Honeyman who had time to take a couple of touches before firing home.
And Sunderland could have taken the game away from their hosts before half-time, with Billy Jones heading wide from a McGeady corner on the quarterhour, and Lewis Grabban missing the target 15 minutes later with a free header from a rightwing McGeady free-kick.
Left-back Brendan Galloway could also have got in on the act five minutes before the interval, but his low shot was too close to former Sunderland keeper Keiren Westwood.
It was not one-way traffic, however. Wednesday put the Sunderland defence under plenty of pressure, both from open play and a series of corners, but the Black Cats’ back four stood up to the test.
The Owls sent on former Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher at half-time and switched to a 4-3-3 system in a bid to find a way back into the game.
They continued to dominate in the second period but Sunderland’s defence stood firm.
At the other end, Vaughan went close twice in quick succession – first just failing to make contact with a cross from Grabban, and then blasting a volley wide of the target.
But Wednesday levelled 20 minutes from time when a rare slack ball out of defence from Lamine Kone was seized upon by Jones, and his 30-yard strike flew past Steele.
Wednesday finished the game strongly and Sunderland were hanging on.
Honeyman cleared off the line at a goalmouth scramble, and Hooper crashed a shot against the crossbar and over the top.