Honest Sheffield Wednesday warning has already been shared as Owls target improvements
Sheffield Wednesday are top of League One after six games, meaning there is plenty to be positive about.
After winning ugly on the road against Wycombe Wanderers and Peterborough United, supporters turned up at Hillsborough on Saturday hoping to see some sparkle injected into Sheffield Wednesday’s play.
Wigan Athletic, who were bottom of the table ahead of kick-off, were the visitors to S6, and almost everyone expected Wednesday to secure a fourth successive League One victory without too much fuss.
However, football rarely works like that, and Henrik Pedersen’s side came up against a well-drilled Wigan team that played a lot better than their league position suggested.
Having been beaten 4-0 by Stockport County in their previous outing, Wigan’s priority was always going to be tightening up defensively, as any team would after being taken to the cleaners in their previous game.
The Latics packed the midfield, making it difficult for Wednesday to play through them. Barry Bannan was man-marked out of the contest by Jensen Weir, meaning the Scot, who has so often picked the lock over the years and spotted passes nobody else could, was unable to get Wednesday going.
Kieran Morrison, who started for the second league game running, was Wednesday’s biggest threat in the first half, but he struggled to get as much joy after the break. Wigan had chances of their own and, on another day, could have snatched all three points after creating a collection of opportunities in the second half.
Ultimately, it finished goalless, meaning Wednesday recorded their first draw of the season and kept their first League One clean sheet of the campaign in the process. Despite the frustration that greeted the full-time whistle, the point the Owls earned was enough to keep them top of the table.
After winning just two matches in the whole of last season and drafting in 18 new players over the summer, every Wednesdayite would have snatched at the chance to be top of the table six games in, regardless of how the points that took them to that position were earned.
Despite winning four of their opening six matches, earning 13 points from a possible 18 and scoring the second-highest number of goals in the division (13), Wednesday are yet to hit top gear. However, that can only be a good thing, right?
It was unrealistic to believe that Wednesday would be the finished article by now. The squad was essentially rebuilt from scratch over a transformative summer, and some additions arrived late in the window, meaning they are still adjusting to their new surroundings and getting to know their new colleagues. Time will be key for Wednesday this season.
“In the big picture, I think it's a very good beginning, but we are always looking behind the result and seeing how the progress is and what we want to do better in the future,” Pedersen admitted.
“Here, we have a lot to do still, and we will have this for a long time. But again, a new training week, where we can train even more.”
With so much churn having taken place during a summer unlike anything Wednesday had experienced before, sporting director Simon Wilson, ahead of the season getting underway, warned that so much newness would almost certainly leave Wednesday having to navigate bumps in the road at the start of the campaign.
"The first month will be noisy,” Wilson told The Athletic. “Who knows, the team might surprise us, but even if we start well, I'd expect a dip because there's so much newness. We'll bring good players to this club, and we believe in the coach.
"I'm sure we'll improve, but I'm ready for the first period to be a bit rocky. We'll have to manage through that."
Results-wise, Wednesday have started impressively, collecting four wins from their opening six games and losing only one. However, there is no doubt they are still in the process of finding consistency in their performances.
With that said, it is hoped that Wednesday, just as Wilson anticipates, will improve with time, raising the quality of their performances as they attempt to establish themselves as one of League One’s promotion contenders. However, just as he warned, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Wednesday will experience a difficult period as everyone continues to find their feet.
But when you consider the chaos and uncertainty that last season created, threatening Wednesday’s very existence, nobody can turn their nose up at the fact that the Owls are currently top of the league.
This Saturday’s clash with Stockport, who are the only team to have scored more goals than Wednesday so far this season, will be a good test to see exactly where the Owls are at. Nevertheless, there is currently plenty to be positive about.