A LATE Ashley Young equaliser saw Watford come from behind to snatch a 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday after a game that had almost everything on Tuesday, October 18.

After Lee Peacock had sent an early header against the post and Ben Foster had been a shade fortunate not to be sent off for scything down the Wednesday striker, Chris Brunt gave the home side the lead. However, after Young had netted his eighth of the season, Watford should have won it deep in injury-time but Marlon King somehow failed to convert from close range.

Adrian Boothroyd made two changes to the side that was beaten at home by Leicester with Darius Henderson, as expected, returning but at the expense of Anthony McNamee, meaning Young reverted to the wing. Lloyd Doyley also earned a recall in place of Jordan Stewart, who dropped to a bench which also included the fit-again Jay DeMerit and Al Bangura.

Wednesday were unchanged from the team which held Plymouth to a 1-1 draw at Home Park.

The home side made a quick-fire start to the match with, from the opening whistle, former Hornets' loanee Chris Eagles taking on James Chambers before cutting inside and running at the heart of the defence. He was then taken out by Clarke Carlisle on the edge of the area, but referee Tony Leake allowed play to continue, but Brunt could only fire over from the angle.

But two minutes later the visitors survived a major let off and Eagles was again the orchestrator. Chambers was again left for dead as the Hemel Hempstead-born winger attacked the right flank before crossing for Peacock to send a great heading opportunity down and against Foster's right-hand post with the keeper beaten.

The amazing start to proceedings continued soon after when King had the ball in the Wednesday net, only for the goal to be ruled out for the striker handling the past keeper David Lucas.

Luck favoured Watford again on 12 minutes when a David Graham header forward caught the defence totally square and Peacock raced through to latch onto the loose ball, only to be cynically taken out by Foster on the edge of the area. The Watford keeper looked to be the last man but, Leake let him off with a yellow card. And to compound the home side's sense of injustice Glenn Whelan fired the resultant free-kick over from 20 yards.

However, half-time replays of the incident showed that, as Foster committed the foul, Chambers was level and Peacock's run would have taken him into the path of the retreating Doyley, but some referees would still have deemed the challenge, by itself, worthy of a red card.

The home fans thought they had more cause for complaint after 19 minutes when Eagles dinked a lovely ball through to Peacock, cutting in to the right side of the area, but he went to ground rather too easily as he looked to go past Carlisle and Graham pulled the loose ball across the target and wide.

Watford finally began to gain a serious foothold in the game mid-way through the first-half with Matthew Spring giving them some quality possession in midfield and the threat of Eagles being nullified, for the time being at least. Indeed, from there on in during the opening period most of the football was played in the Wednesday half, but the Hornets were unable to trouble the home side's goal.

Wednesday made a change at the interval, bringing on Burton O'Brien for Graham, but within seconds of the restart Chambers was booked for a foul on Eagles and from the resultant free-kick Brunt curled the ball from out on the right just over the bar.

The home side maintained their positive start to the second-half with Graham Coughlan heading an Eagles cross from the right straight at Foster, but then Watford began to gain the upper hand again with Young trying a curling effort from wide on the left but Lucas was untroubled.

Watford made their first change on the hour, with McNamee replacing Henderson, but three minutes later the Hornets were behind. From the right flank Eagles found Graham, who helped the ball onto Brunt and he got clear of the defence before calmly lifting his effort beyond Foster and into the far corner to make it 1-0.

After John Hills and Brunt had been booked in quick succession for Wednesday, Watford were nearly back in it when some fine defending from Peacock prevented Malky Mackay getting on the end of a Young free-kick. Then, from the resultant corner, Carlisle's flicked header goalwards was blocked.

The home side were forced into a second change after 80 minutes when Richard Wood came on for the injured Coughlan, and the Hornets then survived a close call when Eagles got part of the way past Chambers before appearing to be tripped but the referee was unmoved by the penalty appeals.

Boothroyd played his final hand with seven minutes remaining, bringing on DeMerit and Bangura for Devlin and Spring and pushed Carlisle up front and within two minutes the change had worked. A long throw from the left was met by Carlisle at the near post and Young crept in to hook the ball in off the near post.

The fourth official then indicated that a staggering seven minutes of injury-time would be played, but after Wednesday had initially come on strong again Watford somehow failed to snatch the win after four of the additional minutes. A low McNamee cross from the left was turned on by Carlisle in the penalty area to King, who appeared to be denied by a combination of keeper and post from inside the six-yard box and Young was unable to force in the rebound to bring an end a pulsating night.

Sheffield Wednesday: Lucas; Simek, Lee, Coughlan, Hills; Eagles, Whelan, Rocastle, Brunt; Peacock, Graham. Substitutes: O'Brien for Graham after 45 mins; Wood for Coughlan after 80 mins; Partridge for Rocastle after 89 mins; Bullen and Corr not used.

Watford: Foster; Doyley, Carlisle, Mackay, Chambers; Devlin, Spring, Mahon, Young; King, Henderson. Substitutes: McNamee for Henderson after 60 mins; DeMerit and Bangura for Devlin and Spring after 83 mins; Stewart and Chamberlain not used.

Bookings: Foster for a foul on Peacock after 12 mins; King for unsporting conduct after 45 mins; Chambers for a foul on Eagles after 46 mins; Hills for time wasting after 70 mins; Brunt for a foul on King after 72 mins; Lee for a foul on King after 88 mins.

Attendance: 21,189.

Referee: Tony Leake.