A closer look at Sheffield Wednesday's next six fixtures

Fans of Sheffield Wednesday will have been hugely disappointed to have taken nothing from the last game at Blackburn Rovers, particularly given that the Owls took the lead at Ewood Park as late as the 83rd minute.

Two late goals from Rovers snatched the game away from Garry Monk’s side, and Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to make the most of their next few games to put the torrid away day behind them.

The next six fixtures are a tricky ask for the Owls, with a number of tough assignments on the cards in the lead-up to Christmas.

Swansea City (H) 09/11

Swansea City look a well-drilled team under new manager Steve Cooper, and have been one of the teams setting the pace in the early stages of the season. A last-gasp win at Wigan Athletic in their previous outing kept the Swans ticking at the top end of the table, and an impressive start has seen notable results like a 1-0 victory over Leeds United at Elland Road. Cooper’s side are the top travelling team in the division at the moment with 15 points from seven away games, and will represent a tough task at Hillsborough.

West Bromwich Albion (A) 23/11

Sheffield Wednesday will have the international break to prepare themselves, but the games won’t be getting any easier for a while yet. At the time of writing West Brom have only lost one game in the league, with manager Slaven Bilic managing to give the Baggies a more solid look in comparison to last season. If there is one crumb of comfort for Wednesday, it is that West Brom’s return of 13 points from seven games at The Hawthorns is good, but not great – they have shown that they are susceptible to dropping points on their own patch.

Birmingham City (H) 27/11

Whilst every game is tough in the Championship, two particularly difficult games earlier in the month would suggest that this is a must-win fixture for the Owls to stay on-track for a play-off spot. Pep Clotet has made Birmingham City a force to be reckoned with at St Andrews, but they do not travel quite so well. Wednesday must be looking to claim all three points here.

Charlton Athletic (A) 30/11

Charlton’s impressive start to the season points to this being another difficult game for Wednesday. The Addicks have already taken points from Fulham, Leeds and West Bromwich Albion this season, and shouldn’t be underestimated. In Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher they have a real gem in midfield, and Lee Bowyer is sure to have his side well organised.

Brentford (H) 07/12

Another week, another tough fixture. Brentford were tipped as a dark horse for promotion by many at the start of the season, and they have certainly been in the play-off mix thus far. Ollie Watkins is a livewire up-front, and Swedish defender Pontus Jansson has added some much-needed steel to the side – expect this to be another cagey affair.

Derby County (A) 11/12

It has been a season to forget for Derby County, with Richard Keogh’s sacking the latest twist in the deeply damaging drink-driving incident. The Rams are unsettled off the pitch, and haven’t looked the same side on it either. While only a few points behind Wednesday, they are struggling to put results together, and Garry Monk will feel confident of pulling off a result at Pride Park.