Sheffield Wednesday lost ground in the automatic promotion race in League One as they were held to a draw against Bristol Rovers at Hillsborough on Wednesday night.

Darren Moore's side needed three points after both Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle picked up wins on Tuesday evening but the Owls struggled throughout the 90 minutes against Joey Barton's side, with the game finishing 1-1.

After David Stockdale had kept Wednesday level in the first half, Michael Smith powered in a superb header from George Byers to hand Wednesday a 1-0 advantage on the stroke of half-time.

However, the visitors would grab a deserved equaliser shortly into the second half as Josh Coburn produced a deft finish over Stockdale, with Moore's side subsequently unable to find a winner.

Although Michael Ihiekwe was facing his fair share of criticism following the game after some early mistakes went unpunished, Lee Gregory should also be disappointed with his performance at Hillsborough.

As per SofaScore, the former Derby man would earn a disappointing 6.7 rating for his performance, with only Jaden Brown (6.2) rated lower from Sheffield Wednesday's starting eleven.

After some strong recent form which had seen him hit three goals in two away fixtures against Cambridge United and Lincoln City, Gregory was sadly off his game at Hillsborough, as he saw very little of the ball during his time on the pitch, before being withdrawn after 79 minutes.

The 34-year-old veteran would contribute just 31 touches and 10 passes on Wednesday night, both of which were fewer than goalkeeper Stockdale would manage (45 and 23).

He also managed just one shot on goal, no key passes, no successful dribbles and won just one aerial duel, which suggests that the Bristol Rovers defenders well and truly had the better of him at Hillsborough.

The League One season so far has seen Gregory average 15.6 passes, 1.9 shots and 0.8 key passes per game, which emphasises that he was below par on Wednesday.

Moore will have to get better from his players if they are to mount a sustained challenge for promotion this season, as Wednesday's result will be considered points dropped.