13 January 2023 , 10:43
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Darren Moore is attracting admiring glances for the remarkable job he is doing at Sheffield Wednesday.
Moore masterminded the club’s FA Cup giant killing against Newcastle United which has put him firmly in the spotlight. And Wednesday’s stats are hugely impressive as they take their 18 game unbeaten run in all competitions to Wycombe in League One this weekend.
That is the longest sequence in all four divisions and they have not suffered a defeat since October 4 when they lost at leaders Plymouth. By the time they go to Wycombe, it will be 103 days since they last lost a game (not including a penalty shoot-out defeat to Southampton in the Carabao Cup).
They have been riding the crest of a wave ever since which has pushed them into the three horse race for the two promotion places with Plymouth and Ipswich Town.
But it is a remarkable turnaround for Moore this season as they secured the most points in a calendar year in 2022 with 91 which was six more than Bristol Rovers in second place with Manchester City the most in the Premier League with 75 points.
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Wednesday scored 104 goals in 2022, a record only beaten by Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering Premier League champions with all their international stars and attacking might.
Darren Moore masterminded Wednesday's victory over Newcastle and is on his way to promotion (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)But it is what Moore - the ex-West Brom defender - has done around Hillsborough which is just as impressive. Moore, 48, inherited a difficult situation at Wednesday with the club in dire straits and politics behind the scenes.
But Moore steadied the ship, steered the team through turbulent times last season and, from a position just over a year ago, when they were struggling, they now cannot stop winning.
Moore has built an attractive footballing side, they have found an impressive balance this season between being more secure at the back, harder to beat and yet also still scoring plenty of goals.
Josh Windass scored twice against NewcastleJosh Windass was at the double against Newcastle and Wednesday’s form plus results under Moore brought a glowing tribute from Toon Army boss Eddie Howe who was full of praise before and after the game.
Now the challenge is for Moore to guide them through the next round after drawing Fleetwood Town at home and the chance of an FA Cup run beckons. But Moore’s priority is getting Wednesday, one of English football’s grand old clubs, back into the Championship.
He is also doing it with the full support of the fans as there is plenty of goodwill behind him for his style of football plus his calm, warm and unflappable personality. Moore is now making others sit up and take notice of the job he is doing at Hillsborough.