The Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Newcastle United at the Hillsborough on Saturday Dec 26, 2009.
In his programme notes Wednesday's caretaker manager Sean McAuley reckoned ten wins and four draws from his side's remaining games would ensure their Championship survival.
Positive thinking indeed, particularly given his side's recent lamentable form, but few outside Hillsborough would have earmarked the visit from the rampant league leaders as a possible starting point for the recovery.
Add to this the fact that Wednesday had lost their last five matches and failed to score in over ten hours of football, then a sixth defeat seemed almost inevitable.
However, the Owls looked anything but a doomed outfit as they took the opening minutes by storm and on 14 minutes Luke Varney headed powerfully home from a James O'Connor chip.
It was no more than Wednesday deserved and they could easily have doubled their lead four minutes later when the ball was scrambled to safety after a melee in the Magpies box.
But abject defending in the 18th minute gifted Newcastle a route back as an unchallenged Kevin Nolan looped a header over a stranded Lee Grant.
Three minutes and a stunned Hillsborough watched as Shola Ameobi turned inside, jinked across the box and and placed a right foot shot past a rooted Grant to put the Magpies ahead. However, and much to Wednesday's chagrin, the striker was at least two yards offside when he received the ball.
Newcastle created only two chances in the half and took them both – a hallmark of champions – and a third looked on the cards as Marlon Harewood criminally failed to find a team-mate with his cut-back.
After the restart it was Wednesday again that set the tempo and after a couple of efforts from Mark Beevers and Jermaine Johnson, they deservedly re-established parity, O'Connor heading home after Luke Varney's effort rebounded off the bar.
Both sides carved out gilt-edged opportunities to take all three points in the closing stages..
A tremendous save from Newcastle's Steve Harper kept out Marcus Tudgay's point blank effort and his couunterpart Grant denied Ameobi and substitute Andy Carroll to earn the Owls a morale-boosting point.
Match details
Sheffield Wednesday: Grant, Spurr, Purse, Tudgay, Potter, Beevers, O'Connor, Varney (68 Clarke), Simek, Johnson (61 Esajas), Soares
Subs: O'Donnell, Buxton, Hinds, Jeffers, Gray
Newcastle United: Harper, Coliccini, Enrique, Nolan, Guthrie, Harewood (84 Lovenkrands), Simpson, Guttierez (63 Pancrate), Butt, Ameobi (24 Carroll), S Taylor
Subs: Krul, R Taylor, Kadar, Ranger
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