Plymouth Argyle could deal Sheffield Wednesday fatal play-off blow if Home Park trend continues | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to improve their dismal record at Home Park when they face Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

Sheffield Wednesday make the long trip to face Plymouth Argyle at Home Park on Saturday as they look to reignite their faltering Championship play-off push.

Wednesday emerged as surprise promotion contenders in the Championship after a strong first half of the season, but it has been a disappointing couple of months for Danny Rohl's men.

The Owls have won just three of their last 13 league games, and they suffered their third consecutive defeat as they were beaten 2-1 by Sunderland at Hillsborough on Friday night.

Wednesday were arguably unfortunate to come away from the game empty-handed after some questionable refereeing decisions, but poor defending once again proved costly, and they are now 13th in the table, seven points from the play-off places.

Rohl will no doubt see the game against relegation-threatened Plymouth as a good opportunity to get his side's season back on track, but Home Park has not been a happy hunting ground for the Owls in recent years.

Home Park trip will bring back bad memories for Sheffield Wednesday

Wednesday have won their last four meetings against Plymouth at Hillsborough, including a comprehensive 4-0 victory on the opening weekend of the season, but their record at Home Park does not make for good reading.

The Owls' last successful trip to Devon came all the way back in August 2009 when they picked up a 3-1 win, but since then, they have lost each of their past five visits to Argyle's home ground.

In the 2021-22 season, Wednesday lost 3-0 at Plymouth twice within the space of two months, first in the league in September before being on the wrong end of the same scoreline in an FA Cup first round replay in November.

The Owls may have only lost 2-1 against the Pilgrims the following season, but after a dominant performance in which they missed a host of golden chances, they suffered late heartbreak as Sam Cosgrove headed in a stoppage-time winner, and the defeat would have big consequences for Darren Moore's men as Argyle went on to beat them to automatic promotion from League One.

Thankfully for Wednesday, they did eventually go on to secure promotion themselves through the play-offs, but their return to the Championship did not result in a change in their Home Park fortunes as they suffered yet another 3-0 defeat at Plymouth in October 2023 in Rohl's second game in charge.

With 10 places currently separating the two teams in the Championship table, the Owls may feel that this is the perfect opportunity to finally change their dismal record at the home of the Pilgrims, but it could be a tricky afternoon for the South Yorkshire outfit on Saturday.

Sheffield Wednesday could be set for a Plymouth Argyle shock on Saturday

Plymouth were beaten 2-0 by relegation rivals Hull City on Tuesday night, and they are now six points from safety, so head coach Miron Muslic will no doubt be demanding a response from his side against Wednesday this weekend.

Given their woeful away form, it was no surprise to see the Pilgrims come up short at the MKM Stadium, but they have picked up 25 of their 30 points at Home Park this season, and they have beaten the likes of Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers, West Bromwich Albion and Millwall on their own patch in the league, as well as knocking out Premier League leaders Liverpool in the FA Cup.

The Owls do have the sixth-best away record in the Championship, accumulating 23 points on their travels this campaign, but it has been an unsettling week at Hillsborough amid more speculation over Rohl's future.

Having initially targeted him in December following the sacking of Russell Martin, a report in The Sun this week claimed that Southampton have identified Rohl as their first choice option for the summer as they prepare to part company with current manager Ivan Juric.

It remains to be seen whether the rumours will have an impact on the Wednesday squad, but defeat at Plymouth could spell the end of their play-off challenge, particularly with a tough trip to Norwich City and the Steel City derby against Sheffield United to come before the international break, so they must put the managerial uncertainty to one side this weekend in order to keep their season alive.

However, history is not on the Owls' side at Home Park, and as they make the 295-mile journey down to Devon with their promotion hopes hanging in the balance, a fourth consecutive defeat could be on the cards.