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Sheffield Wednesday
Stockport CountySheffield Wednesday are sitting pretty at the top of League One and they have a real chance to put some daylight between themselves and the chasing pack this weekend. Henrik Pedersen’s side have been one of the stories of the early season, a club that went through the absolute nadir of relegation with zero points due to administration now bouncing back with serious intent, and a home fixture against Stockport County is the perfect opportunity to stamp their authority on this division.
Stockport arrive at Hillsborough with something to prove after a defeat last time out, but their season so far has been a real rollercoaster. Jimmy McNulty’s men can destroy teams on their day but they can also ship goals at an alarming rate, and that combination makes this one of the most intriguing fixtures in the third tier this weekend.
This League One fixture takes place at Hillsborough, one of the great old grounds in English football and a venue that has been buzzing with renewed optimism since the new ownership came in and set the club on a fresh course. A full home crowd backing Wednesday should make for a proper atmosphere, and Stockport will need to be at their best to handle it.
Wednesday are still carrying a lengthy injury list and Pedersen will have to continue making do without a number of key figures. That said, the squad has enough quality to cope, and a couple of returning faces give him more options than he has had in recent weeks.
For Stockport, McNulty is also dealing with absentees but his options are slightly less restricted. Brad Hills and Adama Sidibeh both miss out through injury, but the Hatters have the personnel to cope and McNulty looks likely to stick with the same group that came close to rescuing a point against Leicester City last weekend.
Pedersen has a decision to make in attack after rotating last time out. Kieran Morrison, Jamal Lowe and Mason Burstow all started against Wigan but Keillor-Dunn in particular will be pushing hard to come in. Barry Bannan, Callum Slattery and Billy Mitchell look nailed on in the middle of the park, with Slattery offering something a little different operating out to the left.
Sheffield Wednesday: Lumley; Valery, Santos, Cooper, James; Bannan, Mitchell; Morrison, Keillor-Dunn, Slattery; J Lowe
McNulty is likely to trust the players who have served him well on the road this season. The back three of Kyron Gordon, Eoghan O’Connell and Ethan Pye gives them defensive structure, while the attacking talent at his disposal means Stockport will always carry a threat going forward.
Stockport County: Whatmuff; Gordon, O’Connell, Pye; Glover, Bate, Norwood, Osborn; Diamond, Wootton, Wood
Wednesday’s start to the season has been genuinely impressive when you consider where the club was just a few months ago. Thirteen points from six games puts them at the summit of League One, and the attacking numbers have been outstanding. Only one side has scored more than their 13 goals, and while the defensive record is not quite as eye catching, conceding six is still well above average for this level. The goalless draw with Wigan last Saturday was their first clean sheet of the campaign, which tells you they have been entertaining if nothing else, and Pedersen will want to see them get back to scoring ways quickly.
Those three consecutive wins over Bromley, Wycombe and Peterborough were the kind of performances that make the rest of the division sit up and take notice. Eleven goals in three games is relentless, and it showed a side playing with freedom and confidence. The Wigan stalemate was a minor blip, not a crisis, and home form at Hillsborough will be crucial if they are going to sustain a promotion push all the way through to May.
Stockport’s form has been all or nothing. Three wins and three defeats from six games tells its own story, and the goal difference reflects how wild their matches have been. They put four past Wigan away from home without reply, then shipped four to Leicester and needed two late goals to make it a more respectable scoreline. Sixteen goals scored in six league games is genuinely brilliant but ten conceded against that is a real vulnerability, and Hillsborough is not a place where you want to be leaving yourself exposed at the back.
These two clubs have not always been regular opponents given their differing fortunes over the years, but with both now established in League One the head to head record is starting to build a bit of history worth noting. Wednesday’s home record in this fixture has generally been strong, and with the crowd factor at Hillsborough adding genuine pressure on visiting sides, Stockport have found it difficult to come away with results there.
What the recent meetings do tend to suggest is that goals are rarely in short supply when these two get together. The attacking quality on both sides has been evident this season and there is little reason to think this encounter will be any different, which shapes how you approach the betting markets considerably.
This is a fixture that almost invites you to back goals, and the team news and recent form back that up completely. Wednesday want to bounce back with a cutting edge performance at home, Stockport are wide open at the back, and the neutral sitting down to watch this one is in for a treat. My betting approach here is built around goals, corners and a couple of players who have been in brilliant touch in front of goal.
Both sides play a high tempo, forward thinking game and Wednesday in particular tend to generate a lot of wide activity when they are pushing for goals at Hillsborough. With Stockport looking to get forward quickly on the counter and Wednesday pressing high, expect plenty of set piece situations and a corner count well into double figures. Back over 10 corners for the match.
Kyle Wootton is the standout pick here. Five goals in seven games continuing last season’s form of 20 in the league is the kind of record that speaks for itself, and Stockport’s attacking setup funnels a lot of their best work through him. He is a physical presence, he gets in good areas, and he scores against top half sides as well as the teams at the bottom. He looks a solid shout to get on the scoresheet at Hillsborough.
Over 3.5 goals. Wednesday have averaged well over two goals per game at both ends of the pitch, and Stockport are the kind of side that simply does not do low scoring affairs. Their last four league games have produced a combined total of 23 goals. The draw specialists and cagey encounters are elsewhere in this division. This one should be a proper open game from the first whistle.
A top of the table clash with genuine promotion stakes on both sides always carries a bit of needle, and Stockport have shown they are willing to be combative in midfield to protect their defensive shape. Lewis Bate and Ollie Norwood are not shrinking violets in the centre of the park, and Wednesday’s attackers will be looking to get in behind which tends to draw cynical fouls. Back over 3.5 cards for the match at a reasonable price.
| Market | Selection |
|---|---|
| Total Goals | Over 3.5 Goals |
| First Goalscorer | Kyle Wootton |
| Total Corners | Over 10 Corners |
A high scoring open game at Hillsborough suits all three of these selections, and Wootton getting on the scoresheet early would fit perfectly into a match that looks set to produce chances at both ends throughout.
Sheffield Wednesday have too much quality at home, a crowd behind them, and the motivation of a side that genuinely believes this is their year to go straight back up. Stockport will cause them problems, no question about that, because the firepower McNulty has at his disposal is real. But the defensive fragility the Hatters have shown this season will be ruthlessly exposed by a Wednesday side that has been scoring for fun.
This feels like a game where Wednesday go ahead, Stockport respond, and then Wednesday pull clear in the second half. A 3 to 2 home win feels right on the money, reflecting the ambition of both sides and the attacking quality that will be on show from the first whistle at Hillsborough.