Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Watford: Tom Lees hits post as Owls held by Hornets
- Published
Tom Lees came close to adding to his tally of nine goals in 238 games since joining the Owls in 2014
Sheffield Wednesday continued to erode their deficit at the foot of the Championship by picking up a point in a goalless draw against Watford.
Tom Lees came closest to breaking the deadlock at Hillsborough with a header that clipped the post but Josh Windass and Dominic Iorfa also spurned presentable opportunities for the Owls.
The draw means Wednesday, who began the season with a 12-point deduction for breaching financial rules, have narrowed that gap to eight points after winning at Cardiff on the opening day.
Watford came on strong in the final half hour but Owls keeper Cameron Dawson made a pair of fine low saves to thwart Stipe Perica and Tom Cleverley.
Wednesday's defence has yet to be breached four games into their season - two league matches and two Carabao Cup fixtures - which has helped them make early inroads into the penalty imposed by the English Football League.
They were untroubled in the first half, other than a routine Dawson save from Glenn Murray, but the keeper needed to be far more alert after the break, particularly to deny substitute Perica's header.
Midfielder Izzy Brown, loaned out by Chelsea for a seventh time, was Wednesday's creative spark, particularly from teasing set-pieces that Iorfa headed wide and Lees glanced on to the post in the first period, while Windass appealed for a penalty after a tangle with Christian Kabasele.
The Owls tired after the interval but a Watford side hit by a lengthy injury list - featuring Troy Deeney, Danny Welbeck, Gerard Deulofeu, Will Hughes, Andre Gray and Etienne Capoue - were unable to capitalise.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"We had the better of the first half and they probably had slightly the better of the second half, it was a tight game.
"We had a couple of chances we should have capitalised on and it was a clear penalty and we didn't get it.
"In the second half, we weren't as composed as the first half but no team is just going let you carry on doing what you've been doing.
"It's a clean sheet and every point is vital."
Watford head coach Vladimir Ivic told BBC Three Counties:
"First half we didn't play well. We had a problem with our organisation, but (in the) second half it was much better. We start to play, we start to move the ball.
"It's 0-0, whether that's a fair result I cannot tell. They controlled the game in the first 45 minutes. I believe in the second half we were the team who was more dominant in the last 35, 40 minutes.
"It's the second game, we have four points, we need to turn now to think about the next game in the cup."