Under-performing or chewing through the gristle? What happens next as winning Sheffield Wednesday head to Derby County?

A penalty shoot-out at Premier League Southampton and a last-minute lapse at table-topping Plymouth Argyle are the only causes of defeat outside of Papa John’s Trophy football since the middle of August.

Third in League One and chasing down those above them with relentless hunger, this weekend delivered an FA Cup third round date with newly-crowned superclub Newcastle United in the new year.

They’re top of the form table over the course of both the last six matches and the last 10 matches. In terms of home and away form, only one team betters them on either count (Plymouth home, Barnsley away).

Depending on how you flip them, the numbers would suggest it’s the best sustained run of form since the manager was Portuguese. Maybe even before that.

But Lee Gregory does have a point when he suggests they’re not actually playing all that well? And if so, what does that mean heading into this weekend’s clash at Derby County.

“Results-wise? It’s going to plan,” he said last week. “When you look back at how well we’re actually playing, it’s not as well as we want to but at the end of the day we’re getting results and we’ll take that all day.

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“Teams are coming here and are frustrating us, which isn’t allowing us to play the way we want. But that’s good tactics from them. While we are playing like this and we’re picking up results, I don’t think anyone is fussed [about performances].

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think we’re playing shocking, it’s just that we’re not up with our best.”

Their late comeback win over Mansfield Town in the FA Cup is the latest in a short run of results in which the attacking form that sits them behind only Ipswich and Plymouth in the third tier scoring charts has alluded them a touch.

But for a side that at one stage last season hadn’t come from behind to win a game in nearly two years and that time and again were exposed as weak under pressure by lesser sides, it’s surely another step forward for a team with a changing face.

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And besides, in terms of cold, hard numbers, Wednesday tallied an xG of 1.72 in both 1-0 wins against Accrington Stanley and Shrewsbury Town – an improvement on their season average of 1.44 – with their opposition in those matches tallying just 0.77 and 0.74 respectively.

Though the xG model is one rejected by some, it does paint a clear picture of control in those outings, despite what has been described by some to be a dip in performance.

Darren Moore spoke of the need to change the character of his dressing room and build towards a Wednesday squad more capable of roughing it out in order to gain promotion. He’s also said these gritty one-nils have given him more satisfaction than the rampant thrashings of months gone by.

A trip to Derby County comes next and with every respect to Accrington, Shrewsbury and Mansfield will provide a different challenge altogether.

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Will Wednesday continue to find a way or will the less fluent efforts of recent weeks alluded to by Gregory and other onlookers come home to roost?

The numbers are optimistic.