Sheffield Wednesday are staring at relegation this season, but they can laugh in its face

To say that the last few months have been uneventful for Sheffield Wednesday is a drastic understatement.

It was announced in July that the Owls would start the 2020/21 Championship season with a twelve-point deficit having breached spending rules.

This came soon after Wigan Athletic were relegated from the Championship, having been docked twelve points too at the very end of their comfortable 2019/20 campaign.

This could be a piece denouncing the EFL and it’s various shambles that have taken place over the last twelve months or so, but you don’t have all day to read.

Instead, let’s stay focused on Sheffield Wednesday. Garry Monk’s side lost a number of key men in the summer after certain players, including the likes of Steven Fletcher and Fernando Forestieri, refused to sign new contracts and left Hillsborough for free. Top that with the twelve-point deduction and it’s fair to say that Wednesday fans aren’t best pleased with the recent occurrences at their club.

However, the Owls have done well to bring some faces known in the second division this summer, such as Elias Kachunga. Let’s be honest, Sheffield Wednesday isn’t the most glamorous of destinations for a footballer to move to right now.

Going into their contest with Watford on Saturday, Sheffield Wednesday are no longer at the foot of the table with -12 points, they’re at the foot of the table still, but with -9.

An impressive 2-0 victory away at Cardiff last weekend gave Garry Monk’s side the best possible start to a league campaign that will be full of complications. As well as the win in south-Wales last weekend, Wednesday booked their place in the third round of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 win away at League One Rochdale.

A 0-0 stalemate with Walsall in the first round (Wednesday were victorious on penalties) means that, impressively, Sheffield Wednesday are yet to concede a goal this campaign after three games. 

Garry Monk will be delighted with his player’s efforts thus far, however their strong defensive record is likely to be breached on Saturday when they host promotion hopefuls Watford.

Photo: Football League World

The Hornets have an unbelievably long absentee list going into Saturday with numerous players still trying to depart the Hertfordshire club after their relegation from the Premier League last season. However, there’s plenty of quality and experience in this Watford side, hence their strong claim for an instant return to the top-flight.

Vladimir Ivic’s side started their season with a 1-0 home win over Middlesbrough and scraped a place in the third round of the cup, equalising away at League One Oxford late on and winning on penalties. Not a stylish first two games but Watford have shown that they’ll be a tough nut to crack this year.

It’ll be a big ask for Wednesday to pick up a win on Saturday as they return to Hillsborough for their first home fixture of the season, but they’ve already shown their intent to chip away at their points deduction and catch-up with their Championship colleagues as soon as possible.