Swansea City put in a much improved performance but were unable to break down a reasonably uninspiring Sheffield Wednesday
It is strange to look back on a game which the Swans deserved to win but the best chances fell to a Wendesday side that pretty much resorted to route one football bar the first fifteen minutes where they looked a real threat - particularly through Jermaine Johnson on their left hand side.
Outside of that though the Swans were pretty much in control through a controlled midfield performance with that threesome today being led by the excellent Joe Allen who increased his stock value another couple of notches. Add in the usual solidness of Darren Pratley and Leon Britton and you can see why the Swans would be classed as the better side on the day even if their only real attempt at goal was a free kick by Gomez in the second half that was pushed away by the home side's goalkeeper.
Indeed had it not been for what appeared (from the other end of the ground) to be a world class save from Dorus and a wasteful effort at the end from Tudgay it could have been a travesty of a home side victory - a victory that they would not have deserved. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
If I was to take a concern away from Sheffield this weekend it would have been our lack of being able to force out a string of clear cut chances and for all the pretty football that we played - and today the passing game was definitely back - it is hard to think of anything other than the previously mentioned Gomez effort that troubled the home keeper.
The Swans lined up as follows
Dorus
Rangel Monk Williams Bessone
Gomez Britton Pratley Allen Gower
Scotland
It was definitely though the home side that came out of the blocks the more effective and Johnson appeared to have the better of Rangel in the early stages beating him on more than one occasion purely through his pace. But that didn't last as Johnson either ran out of steam or Wednesday decided not to give him the opportunity again leaving Rangel to a reasonably simple afternoon and - as the game wore on - more of an attacking threat.
The width in the first half was being supplied by Gower and Gomez and Gower in particular started strong although he faded in the second half but he was a contstant threat in the first cutting in and also going round his man as he looked to carve the opportunity that the Swans needed.
The home side had one real chance in the first half almost on the half time whistle as Dorus beat away a shot after Wednesday beat the Swans offside trap but the goalless first half was of no major surprise to the crowd.
The second half took a very aimilar pattern in that Swansea had the lion's share of possession and always seemed to be on the attack but with little up front to threaten the goal. Scotland was struggling to be in the game certainly during the first half but came more into play during the second period although I cannot remember him having a strike at goal other than a shot late on which was charged down by a defender. The introduction of Pintado to me seemed a touch to late (less than 15 minutes to go?) and it wasn't a switch to 4-4-2 because Pintado was despatched out wide with Gomez moving into the middle to replace the departed Pratley.
As mentioned earlier Dorus pulled off what seemed to be a world class save as Wednesday went in hunt of goal and Tudgay's header was in the last of the three added minutes and went wide when he (again only on observation from over 100 yards away) appeared to be unmarked.
The final whistle signalled another draw for the Swans that keeps them in the play off hunt but games are slowly running out and some are forecasting the requirement to win at least four of the remaining six games and probably at both Cardiff and Sheffield United if that hunt is to turns into a successful one.
Either way through we were good to watch at times today but we seem to have lost that killer touch that we had for the purple patch in January and February and this - for me at least - can very much go down as one of those games that we drew but deserved to win.
Let's see what the international break can do for us as a team - next stop Ninian Park, Cardiff.