Sheffield Wednesday now have the chance to land massive blow in race with Barnsley, Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle: Opinion | OneFootball

All good things must come to an end and Sheffield Wednesday's club record league unbeaten run was halted at 23 games last night in the South Yorkshire derby.

It has been a remarkable period for Darren Moore's side, who had not lost a league game since October when they rocked up to Oakwell last night.

The Owls would come out on the wrong side of a topsy-turvy midweek contest that served as a reminder of what the EFL is all about - with entertainment from the first minute to the last.

Wednesday have lost their place at the top of the League One table as a result, with Plymouth Argyle leapfrogging them after their win against Accrington Stanley, but this is no time for the Hillsborough outfit to lick their wounds as they now have the chance to land a significant blow in the race for the top two.

Barnsley's victory leaves them just three points back from third-place Ipswich Town and only six behind Wednesday, meaning they have to be considered among the candidates for automatic promotion.

The Tykes play Exeter City next week so have the chance to close the gap further but it is their South Yorkshire rivals that have the biggest opportunity in the next few weeks.

Ipswich are not playing this weekend due to the international break while Plymouth's place in the EFL Trophy final at Wembley means they'll not be back in League One action until the 7th of April.

Wednesday will play twice before the Tractor Boys' next league game and three times before the Pilgrims can add to their points tally.

As a result, the Owls have the chance to stretch their lead over Ipswich to nine points by the next time Kieran McKenna's side are in action and move seven clear of Plymouth by the time they're back in League One action.

That requires them to beat Forest Green Rovers, Cheltenham Town, and Lincoln City, which while nothing is a given in the EFL, they will be expected to do.

Opening up that sort of gap would give them a significant advantage in the race for automatic promotion and one that will be hard for their rivals to overturn.

Wednesday may have lost a lung-busting South Yorkshire derby last night, seeing their unbeaten run ended and Plymouth leapfrog them as a result, but they now have the opportunity to land a massive blow in the race at the top of League One.