Dom Howson: Why Sheffield Wednesday look better suited to playing away from Hillsborough

A quick glance at the Championship table shows the Owls are still in a healthy position to mount a play-off push.
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Despite their indifferent form since Christmas, Garry Monk's side remain only four points and four places away from sixth-placed Preston North End.

All is not lost.Wednesday are also six places better off than at the corresponding point of last term and at this stage in 2017/18 when they were languishing in 17th position.

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And contrary to popular belief, their home record is not the worst in the league. Far from it.

In fact, 22 of the 42 points Wednesday have accumulated this season have come at Hillsborough. The team have won six of the 14 league home fixtures. Not a great record, but not terrible either.

But that does not tell the whole story.

The Owls have been chronically goal-shy in their own backyard, finding the back of the net on a paltry 14 occasions. Only second-from-bottom Wigan Athletic (12) have scored fewer during the 2019/20 campaign.

Saturday's humiliating 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Blackburn Rovers was their third consecutive home defeat and their heaviest loss at S6 in nearly two decades.

Owls boss Garry Monk.Owls boss Garry Monk.
Owls boss Garry Monk.
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Versatile Owls midfielder Adam Reach told me: "Positive home form is always something a team is going to need if they want to do well in this league."

Have Wednesday entertained the masses and played a vibrant, attacking brand of football in front of their own fans? Not really.

Bar Barnsley back in August, all of their home wins have been by a one margin.

They have not blown teams away. They have ground out victories.

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Supporters are paying their good, hard-earned cash to watch the team at Hillsborough but are probably feeling a little short-changed at the moment.

So it could be a blessing in disguise for the Owls that four of their next five matches are away from home.

Monk's troops have fared better on the road, suffering just one defeat in their last six. That run includes notable wins over play-off chasing Nottingham Forest, Premier League Brighton and Hove Albion and automatic promotion candidates Leeds United.

No team has scored more goals in the second-tier on their travels (25) than the Owls this term.

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Their 4-1-4-1 set up worked a treat against Brighton and Leeds. As soon as their opponents turned over the ball, Wednesday hit them on the counter attack and exploited the spaces Brighton and Leeds left at the back.

"Our away form has been really good and we have picked up a lot of points," said Reach.

"The home form has not been as good but that might change and if we keep winning on the road and picking up points where we can at home then we will still be in a good position."

Are Wednesday better suited to playing away from home where they can sit in, soak up pressure and pick teams off on the break? As things stand, they probably are.

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