WIN REMAINS ELUSIVE BUT DARKO LIKES WHAT HE SEES
Bellusci rescues a point at home
DARKO MILANIC was denied his first victory as Leeds boss by a wonder show from Wednesday keeper Keiren Westwood.
Undeservedly trailing to Chris Maguire’s blistering strike, the home side suffered further frustration at the hands of the ex-Coventry man, who twice denied the lively Mirco Antenucci with world-class stops.
The 29-year-old – currently keeping ex-England star Chris Kirkland out of the side – also tipped a Rudy Austin thunderbolt over the bar and repeatedly raced off his line to save his defenders’ blushes.
“We’re a team who normally defend from the front and we didn’t do that in the first half,” admitted Wednesday boss Stuart Gray. “But luckily for us we had Keiren Westwood in goal. He kept us in it.
“It’s not just his shot-stopping, which of course we all saw. It’s his presence behind the defence, his organisation, his distribution. And it’s the confidence he gives the whole back four. In him and Chris, I think I’ve got the best two keepers in the Championship.”
Leeds did finally level through centre-back Giuseppe Bellusci, but the result means that Milanic – who took charge with Leeds unbeaten in four under popular caretaker Neil Redfearn – has now taken just two points from his first three games.
“I am not disappointed with the performance,” insisted the Slovenian, “but maybe the result. When you see all of the game, I think we can win.
“We didn’t make errors, we had very good opportunities. But their goalkeeper was good – extremely good in fact.
“We played with a lot of energy. We got the ball forward to the strikers much faster. I said a few days ago that the players here have quality and you saw it. But there are also things that we must do better. I hope soon you will see that.”
If the results aren’t quite dropping, Milanic can at least take solace in a performance that hinted at better times to come.
Though still lacking genuine dynamism or creativity through the centre, Leeds stayed calm in possession and repeatedly crafted openings – usually through the movement of Antenucci or the perceptive passing of ‘quarter-back’ Tomasso Bianchi.
The Italian is hardly box-to-box but his ability to drift into space and pick a pass is a major weapon and Alex Mowatt very nearly capitalised when he scampered clear to force an early save from Westwood.
Austin was next to have a go, forcing the Owls keeper to tip over from fully 35 yards before Stevie May flicked agonisingly wide from Liam Palmer’ cross.
It was a rare moment of invention from a largely stagnant Wednesday side but their goal, when it came, was a blinder.
Jacques Maghoma’s savage leftwing cross was missed by Gary Madine but, when the loose ball broke to Maguire, the Scot arrowed a first-time effort into the corner.
From then on, however, it was the Westwood show. Twice Antenucci ran clear, twice he connected perfectly, twice Westwood dived full length to avert the danger. The keeper even had time to spare the blushes of Glenn Loovens, whose weak back header very nearly allowed Antenucci in.
In the end, it took a defender to save the day. Bellusci, a £1.6m signing from Catania, was nicknamed ‘The Warrior’ at his former club but his finish – a deft side-foot volley from an uncleared Alex Mowatt freekick – was more about silky technique than brute strength.
“He is a player I like very much,” aid Milanic.“He is a player with a lot of risk in his game but he is also very calm.”
For Gray, there was disappointment at a failure to hold on, mixed with satisfaction at their point.
“Before the first international break we had eight points on the board, then went and put on a great performance against Forest on Sky and got nothing from it,” he said. “We went into this one in the same position and we’ve got the draw so that’s improvement.”