Paul Jewell had claimed in his programme notes that the FA Cup might represent a chance for Derby County to “build some momentum and create a winning habit”, but the problems that have plagued them all season in the Barclays Premier League were again depressingly apparent at Pride Park yesterday.

Regardless of the competition, and no matter the opposition, Derby love shooting themselves in the foot. Had Sheffield Wednesday not been equally as inept in defence, Derby might not have recovered from going two goals down inside 23 minutes, but, given the extent of their struggles, it was no surprise to hear Jewell accentuating the positives.

This, after all, was the first time this season that Derby have not lost after falling behind, even if the result was good enough only to earn them a replay at Hillsborough tomorrow week.

“The situation that Derby are in at the moment, we have to take any crumb of comfort we can,” Jewell said. “A 2-2 draw against a team near the bottom of the Championship is not great, but at 2-0 down we were staring down the barrel. We showed character to come back from the usual basic errors and we are still in the hat.”

The game might have been beyond Derby by the time Kenny Miller grabbed a goal back for the home team. Wednesday were in command when Marcus Tudgay squandered a fine chance for his second and the team’s third goal, heading Lee Bullen’s cross narrowly over the bar in the 36th minute. Miller gave Derby a lifeline two minutes later before Giles Barnes restored parity on the cusp of half-time.

“I think if we had scored that third goal, it would have been all over, but then they go down the other end and score and it’s a different game,” Brian Laws, the Wednesday manager, said.

Wednesday were quicker out of the blocks, stronger in the tackle, more precise with their passing and deserving of their lead. A volley by Mark Beevers appeared harmless enough, but Lewis Price allowed it to squirm under his body. Not to be outdone by Price, Darren Moore made a hash of a simple header back to his goalkeeper, allowing Tudgay, the former Derby striker, to drill the ball home.

At least Derby were better going forward. Gary Teale was lively on the right flank and Barnes, infuriating at times, was impressive in midfield. Miller, who was a bright spark up front, pulled a goal back, taking Craig Fagan’s cross on his chest before ramming it home.

In the 44th minute, Richard Hinds failed to clear a corner and Barnes shot accurately across Lee Grant into the bottom corner. Teale might have won it late on when his header was well saved by Grant, but a draw was a fair result. For Derby, however, a winning habit is but a distant dream.

Derby County (4-4-2): L Price 4 – T Mears 5 (sub: M Johnson, 32min 6), A Todd 6, D Moore 4, D Mills 5 – G Teale 6 (sub: J Macken, 85), M Oakley 7, G Barnes 7, E Lewis 6 – K Miller 7, C Fagan 5. Substitutes not used: B Hinchliffe, M Edworthy, B Feilhaber. Booked: Teale, Mills.

Sheffield Wednesday (4-4-2): L Grant 6 – L Bullen 7, R Hinds 5, M Beevers 6, T Spurr 6 – J Johnson 6, B O’Brien 7, G Whelan 6, E Esajas 6 – F Jeffers 5 (sub: D Burton, 61 6), M Tudgay 7. Substitutes not used: P Gilbert, S McAllister, R Wood, L Boden.

Referee P Dowd
Attendance 20,612

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