The strong Sheffield Wednesday base often overlooked
Alan Biggs on a defensive rearguard that probably isn;t getting the credit it deserves
If it's true that good teams are built from the back then Sheffield Wednesday have deep foundations for success.
That the Owls defending rarely rates a mention, with all the focus on creativity or lack of, is a sure sign of a great platform.
One huge positive of the Owls' unconvincing performance levels is the defensive security that has papered over cracks elsewhere.
In their seven league games to date, Wednesday have yielded an average of 13 shots per game. The total is 93, yet only six goals have been conceded.
While you can also attribute this to solid work as a team off the ball, the side is more settled across the rearguard than anywhere else.
The current back four of Yan Valery, Ricardo Santos, the increasingly influential Liam Cooper and Reece James looks pretty flawless to me.
Behind them, keeper Joe Lumley has confounded fears of a weak link.
Throw in that Di'Shon Bernard and Sil Swinkels are heading back from injury and you have all bases well covered.
Wednesday should have conceded more goals than they have considering the pressure they have been under in certain games. The last two at Hillsborough, for example.
Defensive strength won't guarantee promotion without improvement elsewhere but being hard to beat is an excellent start and not to be under-estimated.