Football League World
·21 October 2024
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·21 October 2024
We looked at how Sheffield Wednesday's attendance for their 2-0 defeat to Burnley compared to the rest of the Championship.
Sheffield Wednesday's three-game unbeaten run came to an end as they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Burnley at Hillsborough on Saturday.
Wednesday had picked up seven points from their previous three games, recording impressive victories over West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City during that time, but they found it much tougher against Burnley.
The Owls started brightly and came close through Ike Ugbo and Olaf Kobacki, but they were made to pay for their missed chances when Jaidon Anthony capitalised on Yan Valery's error to give the Clarets the lead in the 37th minute.
Burnley doubled their advantage shortly after half time when captain Josh Brownhill slotted home, and they almost added a third, but substitute Jeremy Sarmiento's header hit the post.
Wednesday continued to threaten in the closing stages of the game, and Michael Smith almost halved the deficit when he fired over the bar in stoppage time, but they were unable to get on the scoresheet.
Owls manager Danny Rohl described his side's display as "a good performance against a strong opponent", and he admitted the Clarets' clinical finishing was the "big, big difference" between the two teams.
The defeat saw Wednesday drop down to 18th in the table, just three points clear of the relegation zone, and they are back in action when they host 13th-placed Swansea City on Tuesday night.
It was a rare setback at home for the Owls, who have been strong on their own patch since Rohl took charge, and we looked at how their attendance on Saturday compared to the rest of the Championship.
Wednesday fans are known for turning up in big numbers to support their team, and this weekend was no different, with 28,105 in attendance for the defeat to Burnley.
That was the second-highest attendance in the Championship over the course of the weekend, with only Leeds United recording a higher number for their 2-0 win over Sheffield United on Friday night at 36,695.
Middlesbrough are next on the list having welcomed 24,438 supporters for their 2-0 defeat against Bristol City, while Hull City v Sunderland (23,072), Stoke City v Norwich City (23,002) and Cardiff City v Plymouth Argyle (20,634) were also among the highest attendances in the second tier.
The lowest recorded attendance of the weekend in the Championship came at the Kassam Stadium as 11,453 people watched Oxford United draw 1-1 with West Brom, followed by Blackburn Rovers v Swansea City (13,550), Preston North End v Coventry City (15,907), Millwall v Derby County (17,321) and Queens Park Rangers v Portsmouth (17,438).
Wednesday's average attendance this season so far is 27,732, which is an increase on last season's average of 26,762, although it is based on a much smaller sample size.
The defeat to Burnley was the Owls' second home loss of the season, with the first coming in August when they were beaten 2-0 by Leeds, and they will be looking to return to winning ways against Swansea on Tuesday night.