It may only be three games into the new season, but two wins and a draw from Wednesday’s opening games can’t be grumbled at.
It’s a near-perfect start to the campaign results-wise – home wins and picking up points away from home along the way is a sure-fire method of promotion straight back to the Championship.
Not for one minute am I suggesting that we’ll go through the season unbeaten, but the return of points and cup progression gives a positive forecast for the season ahead.
Fans have been grumbling at the performances – far from superb against Dagenham and Redbridge I agree, and outplayed in spells by League Two Bury in our League Cup clash last week.
But the outcome? Two wins, two clean sheets.
Anybody expecting Wednesday to romp to two 5-0 victories in those matches, and matches this season, will be sadly disappointed.
We only have to look a few years back to the last time we were in this division to know that we don’t have to play Arsenal-esque football to get back out of it.
Under Paul Sturrock’s guidance, his successful method of football, which wasn’t exactly pleasing on the eye at times, got us back to the Championship – and I’m not expecting it to be pretty this time, either.
It doesn’t need to be, results are all that matter at this level, and Mr. Irvine has got it spot on at the moment.
It could be seen that we’re getting lucky wins from poor performances – and, even if we were, do we care? – but that’s not the case in League One, you can play relatively poorly and scrap your way to deserved wins.
As it happens I believe the performances will get better.
Half of the so-far first eleven are new arrivals, who will need a few more games at least to gel fully with their new team-mates.
A lot are also Championship standard players who, like the supporters, will need time to get used to the week-to-week standard and tactics of third tier English football.
The confidence, too, if the wins continue to come in the next few games, will improve after a season of, for most of this season’s Owls squad anyway, disappointing results last term.
Brighton & Hove Albion up next at S6 this Saturday – and another ‘poor performance’ and a 2-0 win will do me kindly, thanks very much.
UP THE OWLS!
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