, Sheffield Wednesday Favourites To Bounce Back to the Championship

Sheffield Wednesday Favourites To Bounce Back to the Championship

All 24 clubs playing in League One have completed their 46 match schedule, but the season is not over yet.

Wigan Athletic and Rotherham United are heading to the Championship via the automatic places, while Crewe Alexandra, AFC Wimbledon, Doncaster Rovers, and Gillingham leave at the wrong end of the table. Four famous footballing teams are now in the lottery of the playoffs, including the favourites for promotion with the best online sportsbooks, Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield Wednesday is one of the oldest football clubs globally, one steeped in history. Loyal Owls fans have not had much to shout about in recent years, probably not since Wednesday were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 1999-2000 season. Wednesday dropped into the third tier of English football after finishing rock bottom of the Championship in 2020-21, thanks, in part, to a six-point deduction for breaching the EFL’s Profitability and Sustainability rules.

Darren Moore took over as head coach of the Owls on March 1, 2021, becoming the club’s third manager of the season. He inherited a club in disarray, where players had not been paid for months. Sheffield Wednesday drew their final game of the season 3-3 against Derby County and was relegated to League One.

Moore Begins the Rebuilding Process

, Sheffield Wednesday Favourites To Bounce Back to the Championship

Moore’s preparation for the 2021-22 season started under the threat of another six-point deduction if the club failed to pay its players on time. Thankfully, for Moore, the Wednesday players, and the Hillsborough faithful, controversial owner Dejphon Chansiri ensured everyone received their wages. The players were paid, but the club’s financial figures revealed a £23 million loss for the previous accounting year.

With the famous club in a financial mess, Moore had to delve into the free transfer market to bolster his squad as he attempted to help the club bounce back to the Championship. It is fair to say the former West Bromwich Albion man worked wonders with his transfer dealings. Young midfielder George Byers arrived from Swansea City and hit the ground running with six goals in 22 appearances. Byers formed a great partnership with Dennis Adeniran, recruited from Premier League outfit Everton.

Moore managed to convince Saido Berahino to join the club. Berahino was once a £22 million target for Tottenham Hotspur and touted for an England cap, but he lost his way somewhat. The striker has undoubted ability and chipped in with eight goals in 29 league games.

However, the free signing of veteran striker Lee Gregory from Stoke City has proven to be Moore’s best work. Gregory found the back of the net 16 times in 36 games, his best total since scoring 17 goals for Millwall during the 2016-17 campaign.

Incredible Home Form, Shady Away Form

, Sheffield Wednesday Favourites To Bounce Back to the Championship

Wednesday’s incredible home form saw them win 16, draw five, and lose only twice at Hillsborough. Their away form was patchier, with eight wins, eight draws, and seven defeats. The 85 points accumulated were enough to lock up fourth place in the table and secure a playoff place. North East giants, Sunderland, await the Owls. Bookies price Wednesday as the 2/1 favourites to gain promotion to the Championship, with Sunderland 3/1 second-favourites. Whoever wins this eagerly anticipated fixture seems destined to return to the second flight.

Wednesday and the Black Cats have met each other 125 times since their formation, and there is nothing to split them. There have been 28 draws, 48 Wednesday victories, and 49 wins for Sunderland. Honours were even in League One this season. Sunderland hammered Wednesday 5-0 at the Stadium of Light courtesy of a hat-trick from Ross Stewart. However, Wednesday exacted revenge in the return fixture, running out 3-0 winners.

May 6 sees the first of the two legs take place with Sunderland at home before Wednesday host the Black Cats in the return leg three days later on May 9. Both teams are in great form, losing only once in their last 15 games. This game was a Premier League fixture not that long ago and is most definitely the pick of the playoff games.

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