Sheffield Wednesday faced with curious season book-ends after League One fixture release

The Owls have been busy at work moulding a squad to compete at the very top of the third tier table and though there is more work to be done, the double signing of Rotherham United pair Michael Smith and Michael Ihiekwe on Wednesday evening has sent spirits in the fanbase sky-high.

The front end and business end of Wednesday’s fixture schedule make for interesting reading.

The first five

Wednesday’s first five fixtures are all against teams that will harbour genuine promotion ambitions heading into the season.

They open up with a home fixture against Portsmouth, who were among the most in-form sides in the final weeks of the last campaign but whose away record cost them a genuine shot at the play-off places.

Then they’ll travel to MK Dons, another side who take last season’s stellar form with them having finished third, before welcoming Charlton Athletic and then facing a trip to relegated Peterborough United.

Ambitious Bolton Wanderers, another side who enjoyed a promising second half to the last campaign, are Wednesday’s fifth match and third away day.

It presents a tricky few matches to navigate but Darren Moore will no doubt see it as an opportunity to really get the ball rolling on what they’ll hope will be a hugely successful campaign.

The run-in

As we saw last season, League One is a curious beast and writing sides off at any stage – let alone before a ball has been kicked – is a fool’s errand.

But on a cursory pre-season glance, Wednesday’s run-in looks to be fairly favourable.

After they host Bolton Wanderers on March 18, an Easter Friday trip to Oxford United is their only clash against opposition that finish in the top half of the third tier table last season in a run of eight matches until they welcome relegated Derby County to Hillsborough on the last day.

Between those matches they’ll take on Forest Green Rovers away, Lincoln City at home, that trip to Oxford, Accrington Stanley at home on Easter Monday, Burton Albion away, Bristol Rovers away, Exeter at home and then a trip to Shrewsbury.