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CHRIS TURNER has been warning all along that promotion will not be a walkover.

Wrexham proved his point by handing the Owls a first defeat of the fledgling season and improving their unbeaten record to 18 League games and nine consecutive away trips.

It was a jolt to the Wednesday system, though not a serious one at this early stage.

The Owls' vibrant attacking play was a plus for another big Hillsborough crowd. Minuses were misses in front of goal and some suspect defending.

Wednesday set the tone for a four-star match by scoring from a lovely move after one minute six seconds.

Terry Cooke chipped a precise ball forward to Paul McLaren, he headed it back to Alan Quinn – who had been involved in the earlier build-up – and from outside the Leppings Lane penalty area Quinn sent a volley dipping over the keeper and under the bar.

Twice inside the first quarter of an hour, Shefki Kuqi could have added to his four-goal tally, going for goal when a better option would have been a pass to a team-mate, and then heading a fine cross by Derek Geary across goal instead of hitting the target.

But, in a lively atmosphere, Wrexham made it a watchable contest by looking sharp going forward.

Cooke had to block a shot by Thomas in the box, and Ola Tidman made a block from Hector Sam.

Chris Turner's view:

"We created good chances, and the game should have been finished by half time. A player went missing for the equaliser.

"Responsibility was lacking there. It still could have been 3-1, 4-1 or 5-1 by half time.

"When was the last time Wednesday fans were shouting "ole, ole"?… which infuriates me at times because players then think it's too easy.

"Unfortunately, we've lost 3-2 and people go up the road thinking you're garbage. In fact, some of the football was excellent.

"We continued to pressure Wrexham. We've caused them the most problems they've had in the 18 matches they've gone unbeaten.

"If we create as many chances as that every week, we won't go too far wrong.

"Wrexham are a well-organised team who've been together for two-and-a-half seasons. We ripped them apart.

"If we had taken the chances, or even half of the chances, we'd have won about 5-2.

"The onus is on the boys to put the ball in the back of the net."

Not for the first time in the opening games, however, Tidman's judgment was a bit dodgy when he came for a cross, couldn't claim it, and was spared blushes by a marvellous header off the line by Grant Holt after Sam knocked the ball towards the empty net.

Then it was Wrexham's turn to escape, because of offside against Holt, when Kuqi's off-target shot hit him and bounced into the net.

The stream of near misses continued to flow, with a goalbound drive by Kuqi cannoning away off an opponent; Graeme Lee glancing a Richard Evans corner across the face of goal; Holt volleying wide; and Kuqi hitting the keeper's body after being put through by Quinn – the best chance of the half.

So it was a shaker for Wedneday when Wrexham equalised with a simple goal in the 40th minute.

Giant centre back Dennis Lawrence soared to head a left-wing corner down into the net.

Crucially, there should have been a defender on the post to clear, but he had gone AWOL.

Incredibly, considering their earlier dominance, the Owls could have gone behind two minutes later.

Tidman made a flying save to his left, and Llewellyn put the rebound over the bar.

His left-foot volley from just outside the box matched Quinn's effort for quality and it flew into the far top corner.

Llewellyn sent a free header straight at Tidman, and with the defence once again at sixes and sevens, Lee managed to get a vital block on a Llewellyn drive.

In between those close calls, Kuqi bustled through a crowd of defenders and forced a decent stop from Dibble.

But the Owls were flagging in this spell, and it was no surprise when Wrexham forged further ahead.

Carlos Edwards took advantage as Brian Barry-Murphy lost his footing, the wing back scorched alongside Evans down the right and lashed a right-foot shot across Tidman and into the far bottom corner.

Chris Turner immediately made substitutions and switched from 3-5-2 to 3-4-3, which helped to spark a Wednesday resurgence.

Holt made a chance for sub Lloyd Owusu, who headed wide of the near post, and Cooke engineered a breakthrough with a cross that was palmed out by the keeper to Paul Smith.

The sub's sidefooted shot from the left of goal bobbled along to hit the far post and enter the net via a touch from the arm of Carey.

There was tension and excitement as Wednesday bombed forward and got balls into the box.

WEDNESDAY boss Chris Turner today reacted to his team's first defeat of the season by insisting that they are on the right lines for promotion.

The Owls lost a chance to go top of Division Two by slipping 3-2 against Wrexham.

But Turner said: "If we keep playing like that, we'll be in with a shout (of going up.)

"One defeat doesn't kill you; one win, such as the one at Peterborough, doesn't make a summer.

"If my team was playing poorly and not creating chances, I'd be scratching my head.

"But we should have won that game against Wrexham by halftime. We are playing the right football."

A big win would have put Wednesday on top, after their victory at Swindon, draw with Oldham, and win at Peterborough.

Added Turner: "We've won two, drawn one and lost one; we should have won all four.

"If we'd scored the second goal (for a 2-0 lead) against Wrexham, that game would have been all over."

The Owls missed many chances and got on top after Alan Quinn had brilliantly shot them into a second-minute lead. They went 3-1 down and grabbed a goal back through Paul Smith on his Hillsborough debut in a second-half fightback.

Wrexham manager Denis Smith said: "I thought we were going to be under pressure. If you came here and weren't under pressure, I'd be amazed. This is a massive club.

"I always felt we had the pace to cause them problems, and we are a threat at set pieces."