Michael Duff sent off as penalty decisions frustrate Wycombe

Earlier, Wanderers striker Cauley Woodrow figured in an angry showdown with Owls players after conceding a hotly-disputed penalty that turned out to be the visitors’ winning goal.

Duff is believed to have been red-carded following a clash with referee David Rock, and Wycombe’s first-team coach Alex Morris stood in to face the media, saying: “There were two key moments that determined the outcome thanks to poor refereeing decisions.

“Wednesday’s penalty was not a penalty – simple as that. Their player was on the way down before he even gets close to Cauley. Cauley made no contact with him.

“Then we had a definite penalty in the second half when their player saved a shot with his hands. He produced an action that a goalkeeper would produce. How that’s not been picked up I don’t know.

“That’s gone a long way to meaning we’ve lost this game.”

Woodrow was furious as he confronted the Wednesday players after Jamal Lowe had scored the penalty in the dying moments of first-half added time.

Morris said: “Cauley’s sense of injustice was clearly massive. He is a very level, composed character. I’ve not seen him lose his temper. He sensed the injustice and knew it would have an impact on the game.”

But travelling fans who snapped up every seat in the away end could not have cared less as they saluted their heroes after the final whistle with chant of: “Wednesday are back.”

An all-action game exploded into life with two goals in the first 11 minutes.

Woodrow grabbed the opener in the sixth minute, punishing Wednesday defender Gabriel Otegbayo for losing possession by firing home a low shot.

Louie Barry, who later left the ground on crutches after a leg injury, scored the leveller before Lowe’s penalty.

The Yorkshire club, relegated last season amid financial woes and points deductions, arrived at Adams Park fresh from a 7-2 hammering of Bromley on Saturday. Although this result was not as spectacular, boss Henrik Pedersen was just as pleased.

He said: “We knew there were big expectations after Saturday, but the expectations I brought into an away game on a Tuesday night was that we bring in all the basic things – that we stay together, we run, we work hard, we win all our duels, that we win the second balls.

“I told the boys that on Saturday on the playing side we were very, very strong, we were dominant physically, our culture was dominant.

“Tonight was not a perfect game but our basic culture and how we stayed together was how we won 2-1 – and it was deserved.”