SHEFF WED 1
McAllister 20
PRESTON 1
Chaplow 77
Chris Sedgwick set up Preston's vital equaliser against the club he has followed since he was a boy.
North End boss Alan Irvine said: "Chris has been looking forward to this game. But he didn't join in the goal celebrations - that's a mark of his respect for the club he supported since a lad."
Wednesday boss Brian Laws must have thought his side was on course for victory after Sean McAllister's opener.
Laws said: "We murdered them in the first half, but we should have scored more goals.
"Credit to Preston - they kept going. We should have won, but we have four points on the board and that's better than last season."
But Wednesday didn't reckon on Sedgwick making his mark in his home city. He had seen Richard Chaplow miss a glorious chance to rub out McAllister's first goal at Hillsborough. But when Preston substitute Ross Wallace sent the ball to Sedgwick, unselfishly, he once more set up Chaplow - and this time the North End midfielder did manage to find the net.
Sedgwick even played a blinder at the opposite end, somehow blocking Deon Burton's bullet header on his own goal line.
Preston's comeback was tough on McAllister, who looked to have set up Wednesday with his well-struck opener in only his 11th start for the club.
The 21-year-old product of the Owls' Academy latched on to a long throw from Tommy Spurr, which North End keeper Andy Lonergan had failed to grasp. McAllister turned superbly to hook home his left-foot shot, giving Lonergan no chance.
Wednesday piled the pressure on Preston, who came with a 100 per cent record from their three opening games.
Wednesday winger Jermaine Johnson should have given the Owls a cushion.
The winger outpaced Matthew Hill and raced in on goal, only to hammer into the side netting.
The Owls' new loan defender Tony McMahon, in as cover for a month from Middlesbrough, was a major player both in defence and up front on occasions. The 22-year-old rightback tracked back to check Neil Mellor, whose father Ian played for the Hillsborough club.
A Sean St Ledger header was deflected over the bar and a Mellor back-header did likewise.
It was hard to fathom that Wednesday are in an injury crisis as they took the game to Preston from the start.
Marcus Tudgay missed an early chance, shaking off Hill and St Ledger, but stabbed wide.
Chaplow then nearly won it for Preston when he put in a fierce shot on the run but, with goalkeeper Lee Grant beaten, the ball went just wide.
HOW THEY RATED
SHEFF WED
Grant 6, McMahon 7, Wood 6, Beevers 6, Spurr 7, Johnson 7 (Smith 6), McAllister 7, O'Connor 6, Esajas 7, Burton 6 (Clarke 6), Tudgay 6.
Manager Laws 7
PRESTON
Lonergan 7, Jones 6, Mawene 6, St Ledger 7, Hill 5, Nicholson 5 (Wallace 6), Chaplow 7, McKenna 7, SEDGWICK 8, Mellor 6, Whalley 5 (Hawley 6).
Manager Irvine 7
Referee M Russell 5
MAN OF THE MATCH
CHRIS SEDGWICK
Great double act: a goal creator and goal saver