Wednesday go into tomorrow evening’s clash at Brentford with fresh impetus in terms of possible relegation survival after our two closest rivals were both beaten in tonight’s Championship games.
Defeat at home to fellow strugglers Birmingham on Saturday, following the midweek loss at Stoke, was a big blow to our chances of staying up and now we face another testing few days with the trip to Brentford, followed by Luton away on Saturday.
However, losses for fellow strugglers Birmingham and Rotherham this evening mean we sit in 23rd place on 28 points after 30 games, three points behind Brum in the first safety zone spot but with two matches in hand on them after their 3-1 home defeat to Norwich. Rotherham stay one point and one place clear of us and now on level number of games, after their 1-0 home loss to Forest.
That win for Forest takes them onto 39 points while, after other Championship fixtures this evening, Huddersfield remain on 36 points and having played two more matches than us following defeat to Derby, with the latter now on 37 points having played 31 games.
Bottom club Wycombe continued their upturn in form with a 1-0 home win over Reading, moving them onto 23 points after 31 matches.
For Wednesday, we have got to quickly rediscover the form which brought us a mini-revival under caretaker boss, Neil Thompson, and to begin to pick up points away from home after just five collected in the last 12 games on our travels in the Championship.
We will be without young midfielder Liam Shaw at Brentford as he starts a two-match ban following his sending off on Saturday.
There are no further injury problems but caretaker boss Neil Thompson is likely to make a change or two following the lacklustre reverse to Birmingham and he could recall former Bees loanee Jordan Rhodes and Adam Reach to the starting line-up for our first-ever trip to the Brentford Community Stadium.
Brentford’s leading scorer Ivan Toney, who netted both goals in their 2-1 win at Hillsborough earlier this season, is ruled out with an ankle injury.
Elsewhere tomorrow evening, 20th-placed Coventry on 34 points and having played 31 games, are away to promotion-chasing Swansea.