Sheffield Wednesday have made a blistering start to their League One campaign, sitting seven points clear at the top of the table after six matches and already opening up a significant gap on the chasing pack.
The Owls set the pace
Wednesday's early-season form has been the standout story of the third tier so far. The Owls have won just two games in the Championship last season, albeit under exceptional circumstances, yet they have carried no such baggage into this campaign. Six games in and they are the division's pace-setters by a clear margin.
That seven-point cushion at the top carries real weight at this stage of the season. It rewards Wednesday's momentum-building from the opening weekend and gives Danny Röhl's side a buffer that most of their rivals will find difficult to close quickly.
Leicester stumbling in their wake
The scale of Wednesday's lead is thrown into sharp relief by the position of Leicester City, who dropped from the Premier League two seasons ago and were relegated from the Championship last term. The Foxes are 18th in the table with just five points from five games, and they are already seven points adrift of Wednesday with only a fraction of the season gone.
Leicester travel to Stockport on Saturday (15:00 BST) in a match that could define the early direction of their season. The Hatters are sitting 15 places above Russell Martin's men in the table, a striking inversion given the gulf in resources and recent history between the two clubs.
The Foxes suffered a 4-0 home defeat to Oxford United in their last outing, a result that piled pressure on Martin and underlined just how difficult the transition to the third tier has been. Five points from five games is a thin return for a squad assembled with the resources Leicester possess.
The table is taking shape
Wednesday's position at the summit is built on consistency rather than fortune. The Owls have demonstrated an ability to grind out results as well as play expansive football, and their injury list has not derailed them in the way it has hampered others across the division.
For the sides in between the two former Premier League clubs, the gap to Wednesday represents both a target and a warning. The top of League One is already being set at a high standard, and anyone harbouring automatic promotion ambitions will need to close the Owls down quickly before that cushion becomes an insurmountable lead.
- Sheffield Wednesday are seven points clear at the top of League One after six games.
- Leicester City are 18th with five points from five matches, seven behind the leaders.
- The Foxes face Stockport County on Saturday at 15:00 BST.
What comes next for the Owls
Sustaining this kind of start over a 46-game season is the real challenge. League One has a habit of levelling out as autumn sets in and fixture congestion begins to bite. For now, though, Wednesday are demonstrating that last season's relegation from the Championship has been met with genuine purpose and organisation rather than drift.
The question is no longer whether the Owls can challenge at the top end of the division. It is whether anyone else can live with them over the long haul of the campaign.
Frequently asked
- How many points are Sheffield Wednesday ahead in League One?
- Sheffield Wednesday are seven points clear at the top of League One after six games this season.
- Where are Leicester City in the League One table?
- Leicester City are 18th in League One with five points from their opening five matches, already seven points behind leaders Sheffield Wednesday.
- Who do Leicester play next in League One?
- Leicester City travel to Stockport County on Saturday, with kick-off at 15:00 BST.