Five talking points from the EFL weekend including Sheffield Wednesday's 6-0 drubbing

Gabriel Sutton
14 March 2022

EFL pundit Gab Sutton has his say on the action from the weekend, including Sheffield Wednesday's remarkable 6-0 win over Cambridge and the trouble at Reading.

Sheffield Wednesday have hit form at just the right time.

After a 6-0 thumping of Cambridge, the Owls have scored 11 goals in their last two home games and taken 24 points from their last 10 league encounters.

Barry Bannan runs the show every week in midfield and his stellar showing against the U's was enough to earn him man-of-the-match, despite Saido Berahino's hat-trick.

The former West Brom star - who trailed behind only Sergio Aguero, Harry Kane, Diego Costa, Charlie Austin and Alexis Sanchez in the 2014/15 Premier League scoring charts - seems to be enjoying a renaissance after a few quiet seasons.

If Berahino can finish the season strongly, Wednesday will surely make the play-offs - and have every chance of winning them.

Reading in trouble

While there may be some question marks over the credentials of Barnsley head coach Poya Asbaghi, the Iran-born boss does boast some experience, most recently with Sweden's Under-21s.

What's more, while Asbaghi has taken lots of time to get to grips with the Oakwell gig, his side are starting to hit form and look far closer to the team that achieved a play-off berth under Valerien Ismael last term.

And, after a 1-1 draw with runaway leaders Fulham last time out, it's just one defeat in five for the Tarn, who are just four points off Reading and still have them to play next month.

The Royals, by contrast, have a manager in Paul Ince who has been out of the game since 2014, struggling most recently with Blackpool, and have taken just three points from a possible 12 since his appointment after a 4-0 capitulation at Nottingham Forest last time out.

Barnsley have been very poor for much of this season, but the Berkshire club's crisis - combined with Peterborough's struggles and Derby's 21-point deduction - lends them a possible reprieve if they can find form.

Blunted Blades

It all looked so rosy for Sheffield United when they thrashed play-off rivals Middlesbrough - and club legend Chris Wilder, for that matter - 4-1 last week.

But their run quickly ground to a halt, and while one side of the Steel City enjoyed their weekend, United fans watched their side suffer a 4-1 drubbing against Coventry.

While the Blades are improving under Paul Heckingbottom, they continue to miss key wide defensive figures: Chris Basham, Jack O'Connell, George Baldock and Enda Stevens.

As much as Morgan Gibbs-White has been outstanding this season, absentees in other departments could hold them back in their quest for a top six berth.

League One dogfight

Gillingham's 1-0 victory at Doncaster, thanks to Charlie Kelman's 1st-minute goal, means two things for the League One survival battle.

Firstly, that Donny are likely to be joining Crewe in League Two next season, and secondly - Neil Harris' troops have a chance to exploit the winless runs of Fleetwood (11 games), Morecambe (10) and Wimbledon (18).

What the Gills have in their favour is the experience. Max Ehmer, Ryan Jackson, Corey O'Keefe and Vadaine Oliver as well as their manager have seen it all, while the youthful squads at Wimbledon and Fleetwood, led by former youth team bosses Mark Robinson and Stephen Crainey respectively, may struggle to handle the pressure.

Morecambe have their promotion-winning boss, Derek Adams, back at the Globe Arena, but one point from the first nine available since his return and a 3-1 loss to Cheltenham keeps the Shrimps in the drop zone - it could go right to the wire.

Gas starting to boil

Elliot Anderson has lit up the Gas since joining on loan, with the Newcastle youngster playing a key role in Bristol Rovers' run for promotion.

Joey Barton's side were as low as 16th in mid-December but, as Bolton proved last season, it's possible to have a well below-par first half of the campaign and still end up attaining a top three berth.

That is definitely the case this season in such a congested promotion race, as Rovers in eighth are only two points off Northampton in second - and, with livewire false nine Aaron Collins on fire, anything is possible!