REPORT: Sheffield Wednesday 1, Pompey 1

The Blues' penultimate game of the 2024/25 season produces a stalemate in the Steel City.

Championship safety was already confirmed for Portsmouth ahead of kick-off thanks to 2 huge wins over the Easter Weekend.

It is now 2 games unbeaten away from home this season, for the first time since last year’s title winning campaign in League One, ending a drought to what has been a very grinding and draining run of away form.

The Owls took the lead inside the opening ten minutes, when Callum Paterson volleyed home Stuart Armstrong’s pass to the back post, with the winger's effort hitting the crossbar and bouncing into the net to make it 1-0 to Sheffield Wednesday.

Pompey almost found an equaliser and it was nearly Connor Ogilvie scoring against Wednesday again this season, but the full back’s header from Josh Murphy’s effort went wide of the post.

The Blues then found that goal via a Murphy cross again, before Harvey Blair tapped the ball home to score his first Portsmouth and career goal to make it 1-1 with 25 minutes on the clock.

Half-time: Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Portsmouth

John Mousinho made his first change of the afternoon ahead of the second half, with defender Connor Shaughnessy making way for Regan Poole, with the Irish centre half only returning from injury last weekend and already being on a yellow card.

Wednesday also made a change of their own with Dutch winger Anthony Musaba coming on for ex PSG attacker Djeidi Gassama, with Musaba almost making an instant impact, but his shot was parried out for a corner by Ben Killip in the Portsmouth net.

The former Nijmegen man had another chance to put The Owls back in front, but his effort was fired just wide of the goal.

Blair’s afternoon was up 60 minutes gone, when the goalscorer came off for ex fellow Liverpool team mate Kaide Gordon, with the Red’s loanee having half an hour to prove himself to John Mousinho.

To the delight of the over 3,000 Blues fans in attendance ex-Southampton midfielder Stuart Armstrong came off for Swedish attacker Svante Ingelsson, as the Scottish international received a rather warm reception for the Pompey end.

Callum Lang and Marlon Pack then came on for Portsmouth, with Isaac Hayden and Andre Dozzell’s afternoon being over, as well as Yan Valery and Michael Smith’s as they came off for Liam Palmer and Nathaniel Chalobah with fifteen minutes left to play.

Pompey almost won it at the end, when Rob Atkinson leaped up to head Murphy’s cross deep into the area, the Bristol City loanee’s header was just wide of the post.

Cohen Bramall was the 5th and final Portsmouth sub of the day, with Josh Murphy coming off to a standing ovation for the travelling Blues fans ahead of the final seven minutes of added time.

Full-time: Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Portsmouth

Next up: it’s back to Fratton Park for the final time this season, with John Mousinho’s side welcoming Hull City to Portsea Island in the final Championship game week off the campaign.

It will be a return for Hull winger Abu Kamara, who will be playing for a Hull side who may be fighting for their lives much like Pompey could have been, had the Blues not picked up those results away at Norwich and at home to Watford over the Easter Weekend.

The Blues will be looking to end on a high, on what has been a rollercoaster of a season that has confirmed Championship status and two League South-Coast Derby fixtures for the first time since 2012.

Sheffield Wednesday: 47. Charles (GK), 27. Valery (2. Palmer), 44. Charles, 20. Ihiewkwe, 18. Johnson, 40. Armstrong (8. Ingelsson) 10. Bannan (C), 41. Gassama (45. Musaba), 13. Paterson (17. McNeill), 11. Windass, 24. Smith (4. Chalobah)

Unused Subs: 1. Beadle (GK), 12. Ugbo, 19. Kobacki, 28. Hatsuse

Goals: Paterson 9’

Bookings: Ingelsson 90+1’

Manager: Danny Rohl

Portsmouth: 36. Killip (GK), 24. Devlin, 6. Shaughnessy (5. Poole), 35. Atkinson, 3. Ogilvie, 45. Hayden (7. Pack), 8. Potts, 21. Dozzell (49. Lang ), 29. Blair (14. Gordon), 23. Murphy (18. Bramall), 9. Bishop

Unused Subs: 13. Schmid (GK), 11. O’Mahony, 15. Saydee, 30. Ritchie

Goals: Blair 23’

Bookings: Shaughnessy 37’, Dozzell 67’

Head coach: John Mousinho

Venue: Hillsborough

Referee: Leigh Doughty

Attendance: 28,346 (including 2,801 Pompey fans)

You can hear full post-match reaction by downloading the latest Pompey Live: Extra-Time podcast - Jake Smith was in the Steel City alongside Kirsty Roxanne and David Howes to provide post-match reaction LIVE on Express FM.

Join Jake and 2 more Blues voices on Monday (April 28th) evening from 6pm with more analysis on the game.