Sheffield Wednesday's start compared with previous League One campaigns as two key findings uncovered
Sheffield Wednesday are just two points shy of the League One summit after nine matches following Saturday’s 5-0 win over AFC Wimbledon.
"We know it's not perfect, but we cannot expect it to be perfect already.”
That was Henrik Pedersen’s pre-match message in his programme notes ahead of Sheffield Wednesday’s 5-0 win over AFC Wimbledon at Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon.
It was a fair and measured assessment from the Wednesday boss, who went into the clash with the Londoners under a degree of pressure from some sections of the fan base after his side had drawn each of their previous three League One outings, scoring just two goals in the process.
Although Wednesday staged a dramatic comeback against Huddersfield Town at the Accu Stadium, fighting back from 2-0 down to rescue an unlikely point, criticism was still directed at them over the nature of their performance, particularly in the first half.
Despite losing just one of their first eight league matches heading into the clash with Wimbledon, a growing number of supporters had become frustrated with the nature of Wednesday’s recent performances.
However, nobody of a Wednesday persuasion could possibly have grumbled about the performance the Owls produced against Johnnie Jackson’s side, as they scored five goals without reply to climb back into the play-off places and move to within two points of the League One summit.
Even the harshest critics may have murmured something along the lines of ‘it’s only Wimbledon’ as they walked down Penistone Road at 5pm, but this was a Wimbledon side that had pushed Plymouth Argyle every step of the way at Home Park seven days earlier before losing by the odd goal in three with 95 minutes on the clock. Wednesday simply brushed them aside.
The challenge for Pedersen and his players now, of course, is to maintain a similar standard of performance. There is no expectation that they will win every game 5-0 week in, week out, but front-footed, attack-minded performances, such as the one Pedersen’s troops delivered on Saturday, are what Wednesday fans are craving.
Saturday’s five-goal haul means the Owls have scored 20 goals in their first nine League One outings this season, their highest tally at this stage of a League One campaign since the EFL rebrand in 2004/05.
More importantly, Wednesday also have more points on the board (18) after nine games than they managed in any of their previous five League One campaigns. In their last third-tier campaign (2022/23), which ended in promotion under Darren Moore, Wednesday collected 17 points from their first nine matches, meaning they are one point better off this time around.
In 2021/22, Wednesday amassed 15 points from their first nine games, while in 2011/12 – the campaign in which they famously pipped rivals Sheffield United to League One’s second automatic promotion spot – they collected 16 points from their opening nine matches. They collected just 11 points from their first nine games in 2010/11, while picking up 12 from their opening nine matches in 2004/05.
With the exception of Saturday’s win over Wimbledon and August’s 7-2 hammering of Bromley, Wednesday have been forced to dig deep to secure all three points, securing their three other league victories by a one-goal margin. Previous League One campaigns have taught Wednesdayites, though, that free-flowing, exciting victories are not always a regular theme.
Nevertheless, 18 points from nine matches represents a fantastic start, considering the number of changes overseen at Hillsborough during a summer unlike any other. In terms of both results and performances, it would have been easy for the Owls to start slowly and gradually grow into the campaign.
Instead, at least from a results perspective, they should be very pleased with their start. They find themselves within touching distance of the top, averaging two points per game, a rate that is often enough to secure automatic promotion come May.
It is, of course, easy to wax lyrical and be upbeat on the back of a 5-0 win, but why shouldn’t credit be given where credit is due? Saturday’s performance was one worthy of applause.
Pedersen, with the support of a new-look hierarchy, has built a team that has demonstrated it possesses both the quality and the character to push for an immediate return to the Championship.
Performances, as Pedersen acknowledged in his programme notes, were never likely to be perfect at this stage after so much upheaval during the summer, but the results have been solid enough for a new-look team. Across all competitions, Wednesday have lost just two of their first 13 outings this season, winning eight. They are also currently unbeaten in nine matches across all competitions.
There will be occasions, as there are for every team in the world, when Wednesday perform poorly or experience a run of form that sees them stutter and limp over the line. However, they have also demonstrated that they can be a real force at this level when playing on the front foot.
Ultimately, 18 points from the first 27 available represents a strong start for this new-look team, which should only get better as the campaign unfolds.