Source: FOOTYMAD
Owls travel south with top spot in their sights
Exeter City Vs Sheffield Wednesday, team news and preview Sheffield Wednesday face Exeter City on Saturday and if Brighton come unstuck in Friday evenings encounter with Notts County a win would then take the Owls to the League On summit. Wednesday will go into the match full of confidence following last weekend annihilation of Bristol Rovers and with Milan Mandaric having officially sealed the takeover of the club earlier in the week there is a fresh mood of optimism sweeping through the Owls and their followers. Wednesday boss Alan Irvine is still without the services of injured right-backs Lewis Buxton and Jon Otsemobor so the left-footed Daniel Jones is likely to continue on the right. The Owls could be boosted by the return of top scorer Neil Mellor who has resumed training this week following an ankle injury. He is unlikely to be risked from the start however and Irvine will be expected to go with the same starting 11 that were so impressive last time out. Exeter have no new injury problems but may make changes having played for 120 in their penalty shoot-out win against Bristol Rovers in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy on Tuesday evening. Former Manchester United forward Daniel Nardiello will be hoping to impress ion training and put pressure on fellow strikers Jamie Cureton and Richard Logan in order to earn a place in the starting line-up. The poor weather has seen Exeter matches postponed recently and as a result they have not played a home game since November 13th. Since then they have won one lost one and drawn one away in the league before winning Tuesday’s shoot-out at Bristol following a 2-2 draw. The Grecians currently occupy a respectable 13th place in the league table and have only lost once in 8 home league games so far this season. Wednesday’s 6-2 win last time out brought to an end a run of two straight defeats, prior to that they had won 6 matches in succession. The Owls have a mixed record on the road in the league this season with 4 wins and four defeats from 9 away matches. The Owls have not faced the Grecians for thirty years and the last clash between the two sides ended in a 1-0 defeat for Wednesday at St James’ Park way back in April 1980. In all, the two teams have faced each other on 7 occasions with Exeter winning 4 to Wednesday’s 2. The visitors will be looking for the first ever win at St James Park having drawn just once and lost the rest of their previous 4 visits.
