Owls chief on the brink
JOS LUHUKAY stands on the brink of the sack after this dismal derby display.
The Sheffield Wednesday boss is in peril – two goals from Owls striker Lucas Joao and a salvaged point fooled absolutely no one inside Hillsborough.
Paul Warne’s battling and brave Rotherham were the better side, and wasted glorious late chances to take all three points.
During and after the game chants rang out from the home fans of “We want Luhukay out” and “Sacked in the morning” – with now one win from nine games.
The club’s Thai owner is due in Sheffield later this week – and if the Dutchman lasts that long talks will be tense.
A rattled Luhukay
(above) said: “I heard the chanting from the fans, I am not deaf. The question of my job is not for me to answer. It is not for me to say if I will be given the time to turn things around.
“Scoring just before halftime we thought we might push on.
“It is not an easy period, with more pressure on my team. We must win.”
Warne said: “I thought we were the better team, the one that wanted to win.
“We created enough chances, some of them gilt-edged, in the second half but regrettably we didn’t take enough.
“But getting a point away is not my worst day at the office.
“The lads are much better than they think they are, we are performing at this level with a mainly League One team and that makes me proud.”
With the rain lashing down, Wednesday broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time with their first shot on target.
Reach managed to pick out Joao, and the striker applied a cool finish to notch his seventh goal of the season.
But Luhukay’s half-time team-talk went straight out of the window when the Millers levelled just 16 seconds after the break.
Michael Smith raced on to a Will Vaulks pass on the left of the area before finishing in the style of Thierry Henry.
And after 55 minutes they were ahead thanks to a blunder from young goalkeeper Cameron Dawson.
Richie Towell tried his luck from 30 yards but no one expected Dawson to let the ball squirm under his body.
That triggered boos and chanting around the ground.
Joao cheered the home supporters with an equaliser after 64 minutes, nodding in a cross from sub Daniel Pudil.
Vaulks held his head in his hands after screwing a shot wide – expertly teed up by Smith.
And Towell wasted another glorious chance to seal a first away Championship win in 36 attempts for Rotherham by blazing over after 85 minutes.