Sheffield Wednesday are on a roll, and they’ll be looking to keep the good times coming when they host Preston North End on Saturday.
Danny Rohl has seen his side claim back-to-back wins for the first time this season after wins over Hull City and Derby County last week.
Sheffield Wednesday have now climbed to 12th place in the Championship table, and will be hoping to keep rising with a win over 18th-placed Preston this weekend.
With Sheffield Wednesday now being touted as ‘outsiders’ for a play-off place come the end of the season, these are the games they have to be winning.
David Prutton thinks Sheffield Wednesday’s unbeaten run can continue against Preston
In their regular prediction show as part of the Essential EFL podcast, Simeon Gholam and David Prutton ran the rule over the upcoming clash between Wednesday and Preston.
Gholam described the fixture as a “tough game” for an out-of-sorts Preston who have not won in eight games (since October 19), and cited Wednesday’s “good response” since the Steel City derby defeat before the international break.
Offering his thoughts, Prutton said: “Just to remind myself where they were in the table, Sheffield Wednesday are seven [points] clear of Preston. Even though we saw Wednesday start sluggish, and Preston make a managerial change earlier this season, Wednesday are on the up with the two victories and unbeaten in three as they come into this.
“It’s hard to work out what Preston are, or what their aims are. There is a glut of teams down there all on same points wanting to do better. Down the bottom of the Championship will be a sticky fight, more so than the top this year.”
Gholam reminded Prutton that the last four meetings between Sheffield Wednesday and Preston have ended 1-0, “with two wins apiece and not many goals.”
Weighing in with his final score prediction, Prutton suggested the Owls can keep up their impressive run, and went for a “1-0 Wednesday” win on Saturday afternoon.
Sheffield Wednesday have to keep the momentum going vs Preston North End
Simply put, Wednesday must beat Preston this weekend if they are at all serious about pushing on from last season and competing with the bigger teams in the league.
If Sheffield Wednesday can put together a strong run of results in December, they’ll be in an incredible position heading into the New Year, and the play-offs will be a very real possibility.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 9 |  NorwichNorwich | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 35 | 27 | 8 | 25 |
| 10 |  MillwallMillwall | 17 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 25 |
| 11 |  Bristol CityBristol City | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 24 | 21 | 3 | 25 |
| 12 |  Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday | 18 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 22 | 27 | -5 | 25 |
| 13 |  SwanseaSwansea | 18 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 17 | 1 | 23 |
| 14 |  Stoke CityStoke City | 18 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 19 | 22 | -3 | 21 |
Rohl has to make the most of this momentum his team have got right now. Consistency is one of the most important factors in football, especially in the wildly unpredictable world of the Championship.
With a few more good results, and hopefully the arrival of some players on loan for Sheffield Wednesday in January, we could see something special this season.
But, it all begins with this game at the weekend. Getting that third consecutive win would establish a real pattern of success, and with the home crowd behind them, Wednesday have to fancy their chances against Preston.