Sheffield Wednesday’s victory over Millwall on Saturday reduced the relegation-threatened Owls’ deficit to four points, but the Hillsborough club has had a dismal season overall.
The Owls are the Championship’s equal lowest scorers, with just 26 goals in 33 games, alongside rock-bottom Rotherham United, who have only 19 points and appear destined for relegation.
| Championship Table (As it stands February 19th) | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 17 | Blackburn Rovers | 32 | -12 | 37 |
| 18 | Swansea City | 33 | -13 | 36 |
| 19 | Stoke City | 33 | -16 | 35 |
| 20 | Huddersfield Town | 33 | -16 | 34 |
| 21 | Millwall | 33 | -15 | 33 |
| 22 | QPR | 33 | -14 | 32 |
| 23 | Sheffield Wednesday | 33 | -26 | 29 |
| 24 | Rotherham United | 32 | -34 | 19
|
A South Yorkshire derby between the Millers and the Owls on March 2nd will be crucial in determining Danny Rohl’s fate, while it provides Leam Richardson’s team with a rare opportunity to be cheerful.
Rohl’s Owls have now won two of their last three Championship games, and it is critical for their survival hopes that they keep up their good form, as some of the club’s recruitment over the last two transfer windows hasn’t exactly helped the side adjust to the second tier following last season’s promotion from League One.
On the final day of the summer transfer window, Wednesday signed both John Buckley and Jeff Hendrick, with Buckley arriving on loan from parent club Blackburn Rovers and Hendrick signing on loan from Premier League team Newcastle United.
The Rovers player was recalled by his parent club in January, after the Ireland international was left out of the Owls’ 25-man playing squad, thereby ending his season.
Buckley and Hendrick failed poorly in meeting expectations for the Owls.
Buckley made only 14 Championship games at Hillsborough, starting only five times and scoring no goals.
The Rovers academy graduate also had a shoulder injury while in South Yorkshire, highlighting the transfer’s failure.
Buckley scored three goals and assisted seven times for Rovers during the 2021/22 Championship season, demonstrating the talent he possesses but was unable to showcase for the Owls.
Meanwhile, before being dropped from the squad, Hendrick had only scored once in ten outings and five starts for Wednesday.
The Hillsborough fans will have had bigger expectations for the 32-year-old, whose parent club is in the Premier League and who has 79 Ireland caps to his name.
Wednesday’s January signings are having a more positive impact
Following the failed Buckley and Hendrick deals, Owls fans may have been concerned about what their club’s January additions might bring them.
But Ike Ugbo, who joined Wednesday on loan from Troyes in January after spending the first half of the season on loan at Cardiff City, has made an immediate impact for Rohl’s side, scoring three goals in seven games.
The 25-year-old scored the opening goal in the Den during the Owls’ important win over Millwall, and Rohl and co will be hoping he can rocket them to safety.
The influence of Brighton’s January loan signing, James Beadle, has also been felt in South Yorkshire, as the youthful goalkeeper has maintained three clean sheets in just six Championship appearances.
