Why the British rowers are the inspiration for Darren Moore's Sheffield Wednesday

Boasting a magnificent 20-match unbeaten league sequence heading into Saturday's League One home game with Peterborough United, Wednesday are eight points clear of the side just outside of the automatic promotion positions in Ipswich Town with a game in hand.

Talk of a first league title since 1958-59 is also going the rounds among Wednesdayites, with Moore and his players being the ones who must stay on-message and ensure they do not get ahead of themselves.

Unbeaten at league level throughout the whole of the winter months and since mid-autumn, Wednesday are keeping out the outside noise and not looking forward to the finishing line yet.

Thirteen games remain this season for the Owls, who have lost just one league game at Hillsborough in almost 13 months, but complacency will not be tolerated.

Moore said: "We are likening it to the British rowing team. Their backs face the finishing line and every single stroke matters in terms of what they are doing until that finishing line comes into their vision.

"By that time, they have given every stroke to get across that line. It's the same analogy with us as a group in making sure we put inall our energy into each and every single game and making sure we give the best account of ourselves.

"If you look at the rowing team, if you turn your head and try to look at the finishing line, it means your stroke goes out of sync which can disrupt things and lead to complacency for me.

"For us, it is making sure we put all our energies into every single game and staying consistent in our work. Once that game is finished, it is literally onto the next one.

"As it's accumulated, it's gone to 20 (unbeaten) matches and it's the mindset and mentality from now to the end of the season."

The job may not be done, but Moore can look back on significant progress in his time at the club, which is certainly more stable and calmer than it was when he arrived two years ago.

At the time, Moore became Wednesday’s third permanent manager of that 2020-21 campaign and their ninth in the space of a decade.

Moore could not save the Owls from the drop in a season when they were docked six points for breaching spending rules, with the club also hitting the headlines due to matters off the field - with club owner Dejphon Chansiri being under scrutiny over delays to paying players in that troubled campaign.

Refreshingly, Wednesday are making the back pages as opposed to the front these days and while sealing promotion - after play-off semi-final disappointment last season - is still to be fulfilled, Moore can look back with a fair amount of satisfaction after his second anniversary in charge this week.

He commented: "What has given me the most satisfaction is the continual improvement because of the different hurdles we've faced as a football club.

"We have dealt with them together and that has been the most pleasing aspect.

"When I arrived here, the mindset and mentality around the football club was different. There's more of a 'together’ approach now.

"We also recognise we have not achieved anything by a long stretch and know if we are to continue to move this wonderful football club together, there's got to be a 'buy in' from everybody.

"That's why every morning when I get up and come in here, the message has always been firm and clear and with a togetherness. That's been the biggest significance when I look back at the two years so far.

"It seemed like a bit of a 'free for all' when I first came here. But you can understand in terms of where the club was at and the situation and where the players' contracts were before.

"There's a little bit more stability now, but there's still so much work to go and we can't rest on our laurels and we have not probably scratched the surface in terms of what work is needed to put this club back to where we feel it needs to be.

"Thus far, we’ve been on the right road. We all have our parts to play."

Alongside Wednesday, sixth-placed Barnsley are the other ‘form horse’ in League One, with six wins in their last seven unbeaten matches and four victories on the spin.

The Reds, who host the top three this month, are nine points behind second-placed Plymouth Argyle, with two games in hand.

Much like Moore, head coach Michael Duff is not looking too far ahead and insists that it is only the final business third of the season which matters.

“We’re two thirds of the way through the season,” he added.

“The first third was up and down, the second was generally pretty good and we have to make sure the last one is even better.

“We want to keep that momentum and we have to harness it and not let it slip away easily.

“From the last 16 games, we’ve taken 38 points and gone from sixth to sixth.

“That tells you everything about the league. It shows you just have to keep winning. It’s relentless.”