It was the proverbial game of two halves on Saturday as Wednesday and Barnsley emerged honours even from the Championship basement battle.
The hosts enjoyed the better of the first half and opened the scoring through Marcus Pederson but the Owls upped the ante after the break and got their reward with a Matty Fryatt equaliser.
With both sides residing at the wrong end of the table and factoring in the derby flavour, the stakes were high at Oakwell.
And the Owls were quick out of the traps with the first opportunity inside five minutes when Roger Johnson brushed the side netting with an angled header from Michail Antonio’s cross.
Barnsley replied with Tom Kennedy going close with a free kick before the home side took the lead on 16 minutes.
The Tykes fired a warning shot when Pederson lashed a snapshot against the post and the same player stayed alert when the ball found its way back to the Norwegian, who hit a fierce drive into the top corner.
The onus was then on Wednesday to fashion a way back into the game and Jeremy Helan almost did just that on the half-hour, jinking into the box and shooting narrowly wide.
But Barnsley were intent on doubling their lead and with half time approaching, Paddy McCourt went on a mazy run that took him past three defenders and ended with a cross-shot that was crying out for a finish.
The Reds started the second half as they saw out the first – David Perkins advanced on goal minutes after the restart and might have done better than unleashing high over the bar after finding space to shoot.
Then came a big talking point when the Owls were denied claims for a penalty after Antonio’s throw-in appeared to be handled in the area by Jean-Yves M’voto.
Undeterred, though, Wednesday pressed forward and substitute Atdhe Nuhiu forced a fine save from Jack Butland before the visitors deservedly posted the leveller their purple patch deserved.
Reda Johnson flicked on to locate Fryatt in space and the loanee hitman struck an unstoppable drive that positively rippled the back of Butland’s net on the hour.
Immediately after the resumption, the Owls could have taken the lead when the ball fell kindly to Antonio six yards out but Butland was equal to the wideman’s low effort.
That passage of play sparked Barnsley back into life and Pederson was a whisker away from getting something on McCourt’s drilled cross before the contest slipped into something of a lull and openings came at a premium.
Nuhiu nodded a half chance wide for Wednesday and that was as good as it got in the closing stages, with a point apiece probably the right result.
Barnsley: Butland, Kennedy, Cranie, O’Grady, Perkins, Wiseman, Pederson (Scotland 85), Mellis (Jennings 64), M’voto, Fox, McCourt (Etuhu 73)
Owls: Kirkland, Buxton, Roger Johnson, Zayatte, Reda Johnson, Antonio, McPhail, Olofinjana (Coke 60), Helan, Jermaine Johnson (Nuhiu 52), Fryatt (Lavery 84)