A late Chris Iwelumo strike saw Charlton Athletic come back from a two-goal deficit at half time to beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 at the Valley on Saturday afternoon.
It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Owls, who had gone 2-0 up early on with goals from Burton O'Brien and Tommy Spurr.
Something of a makeshift Wednesday outfit did well to keep the bookies favourites for the Championship at bay until the break but it was a different story after half time.
Brian Laws made three changes to the team that started in the 3-1 loss against Wolves six days earlier. Wade Small picked up a hamstring injury in training late in the week and was replaced on the left of midfield by Burton O'Brien for his first start of the 2007/08 campaign.
Richard Hinds made his full debut at the heart of the Owls defence with Lee Bullen dropping to the bench. Leon Clarke started up front with Francis Jeffers unavailable because of a calf strain.
Marcus Tudgay, returning from a shoulder injury, started on the bench but Steve Watson failed a late fitness test with a stomach muscle problem.
It was a lively start to the match south of the Thames and Lee Grant had to be alert in the opening minute as Marcus Bent rushed through before midfielder, Jerome Thomas, flashed a volley wide moments later.
At the other end, Clarke won a corner as his shot was deflected wide and Hinds nearly started his debut in style, directing a header just wide of the far post from a corner in the fifth minute.
But it was O'Brien who could not have hoped to make a more emphatic impact in his first start of the campaign. Despite favouring a central berth, the Scot started on the left but cut in to make his presence count.
Deon Burton, wearing the captain's armband, slid the ball out to Jermaine Johnson on the right. The former Bradford City man jinked his way into the box and laid the ball off to Kenny Lunt but the midfielder's shot was blocked. As it fell to O'Brien he unleashed an unstoppable effort from the channel which looped beyond Nicky Weaver's despairing dive in the sixth minute.
Charlton pushed on to get back level but a Bent shot from an angle on 12 minutes well held by Grant at his near post was the only real threat they made before Wednesday extended their lead.
Frank Simek worked his way into the box to win a corner. O'Brien whipped the set piece in and Tommy Spurr rose to head home from ten yards with the home defence left wanting.
It was the Owls Academy product's first goal for Wednesday in his 43rd match and the 19-year-old was predictably delighted as he turned to celebrate with his team mates.
The Addicks fans were predictably nonplussed by conceding a two-goal lead so early on and the home support's apparent impatience soon grew as Charlton failed to break down Laws' men.
Wednesday worked hard to close their opponents down and kept the ball effectively once they had won it back. The Owls seemed happy to sit back and soak up any pressure Alan Pardew's men put on them with two banks of four well-marshalled in their duties.
Boos echoed around The Valley at the half time whistle and Pardew introduced Svetoslav Todorov in place of Marcus Bent to increase his side's threat.
Laws would have been by far the happier manager at the interval but he was also forced to change his strike force, bringing Tudgay on for Clarke, who had struggled after a clash with Patrick McCarthy.
Predictably, The Valley outfit emerged with much more energy and purpose after the break with Darren Ambrose and Chris Iwelumo both causing problems for the visitors defence. But it was skipper, Andy Reid, six minutes after the restart who brought the home side back into contention.
The Owls had not fully cleared an Addicks attack when Reid had time to shape and curl his effort from the edge of the D with an excellent strike into the bottom right-hand corner to make it 2-1.
The tempo had certainly been upped considerably but while Charlton were looking much more dangerous they were tested at the back by a series of set pieces with Lunt and Richard Wood tellingly involved.
Firstly Wood's powerful header from Lunt's free kick on 58 minutes was well saved by Weaver. The resultant corner was stuck into the danger area by the former Crewe midfielder and as it was half-cleared Lunt raced into the box to deliver a vicious left foot volley deflected over the crossbar.
Back at the corner spot, the playmaker then delivered a perfect ball to the far post and Wood headed in but the referee disallowed it for a foul.
Straight back up the other end, Charlton thought they had equalised when Chris Iwelumo and Ambrose went in on Grant. The Owls keeper was deposited in his goalmouth and while the ball hit the back of the net, the referee had no hesitation in giving a foul.
Soon the Addicks were back level though as Iwelumo turned Wood inside the penalty area and finished clinically inside the far post on 66 minutes.
The mood amongst the home crowd had certainly swung midway through the second half and a double tackle from Frank Simek on Ambrose was necessary to deny the home side a possible third.
Grant also made an exceptional save from a rasping Reid free kick on 77 minutes but saw yellow when he remonstrated with the referee for contesting the referee's decision.
The Owls' cause had not been helped by the loss of Spurr, who was injured in a tackle and Yoann Folly's replacement of Johnson meant four central midfield were playing across the middle for the Yorkshire club, two of them in quite unfamiliar positions.
Nonetheless it was a sucker punch in the dying stages when Iwelumo worked his way free to fire another low strike beyond Grant, who, for the third time of the afternoon had no chance.
SWFC(4-4-2): Grant; Simek, Hinds, Wood, Spurr, (Gilbert 80); Johnson (Folly 56), Lunt, Whelan, O'Brien, Clarke (Tudgay 46), Burton.
Subs not used: Burch, Bullen.
Booked: O'Brien, Grant
Charlton: Weaver; McCarthy, Bougherra (Faye 88), Fortune, Thatcher (Zhi 45); Reid, Ambrose, Semedo, Thomas, Iwelumo, Bent (Todorov).
Subs not used: Randolph, McLeod.
Booked: McCarthy
Referee: K Friend
