Yorkshire Post Power Rankings: Huddersfield Town on top; Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United trade places

WEEK four of the Yorkshire Post's Power Rankings for the 2016-17 season. South Yorkshire duo Barnsley and Doncaster Rovers are on the move, although Huddersfield Town still lead the way for a third successive week.
David Wagner's 
Huddersfield Town top the Yorkshire Post's Power RankingsDavid Wagner's 
Huddersfield Town top the Yorkshire Post's Power Rankings
David Wagner's Huddersfield Town top the Yorkshire Post's Power Rankings

1: Huddersfield Town (unchanged) WLWDWW.

Talk about being on the crest of the wave.

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Chris Wilder welcomes new signing Caolan Lavery to Sheffield United.Chris Wilder welcomes new signing Caolan Lavery to Sheffield United.
Chris Wilder welcomes new signing Caolan Lavery to Sheffield United.

A turbo-charged August ended in fitting fashion for Town, who saw off Wolves 1-0 to head into the international break with a two-point lead at the Championship summit.

These are certainly heady times with Town heading into next weekend’s West Yorkshire derby at Leeds United in fine fettle. Have found a way to win games - and now have 13 points; it took them until October 20 to reach that tally last season.

Chris Wilder welcomes new signing Caolan Lavery to Sheffield United.Chris Wilder welcomes new signing Caolan Lavery to Sheffield United.
Chris Wilder welcomes new signing Caolan Lavery to Sheffield United.

2: Barnsley (up three) DLWWLW.

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The swing side of the derby pendulum for the Reds, who were irresistible en route to an emphatic four-goal blitzing of sorry Rotherham United at Oakwell, with the second half being as one-sided as it gets.

As Paul Heckingbottom rightly said, the victory helped turn a hitherto steady August into a very good one. All Reds supporters would have taken nine points from their opening five Championship games - and certainly third place in the table.

3: Bradford City (down one) LWWWDW.

Denied three points by a dogged and organised Oldham side at Valley Parade at the weekend, although City still remain unbeaten at the start of the League One campaign and have showed no hangover following their play-off elimination last season.

Quite the opposite and now it’s onto the place where their season ended in late spring at the New Den. City in a good place.

4: Middlesbrough (unchanged) DDDDWD.

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Boro got what they came for in Sunday’s televised snoozefest bore draw at the Hawthorns - on an afternoon when the hosts lacked the gumption to break them down.

While it was not pretty and would have won few marks for artistic merit, it was a solid point on the road and continued the Teessiders’ unbeaten start to the league season. Better to play well and take nothing home? Probably not..

A haul of five points from Boro’s opening three games is not to be sniffed at and is pretty sound on your return to the big time after seven seasons.

Two of those games have been away from home too, with Boro - just as with last season - looking organised and parsimonious at the back.

5: Doncaster Rovers (up two) LDWWWW.

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After two hard-fought single-goal victories, Rovers turned on the style to trounce ten-men Yeovil 4-1 at the Keepmoat, with Andy Williams - a player who thrives on confidence - scoring the first hat-trick of his professional career as Darren Ferguson’s side jumped up to third in League Two.

A strong finish to an at times difficult month as Rovers won three leagues on the spin for the first time since last autumn.

A midweek Checkatrade Trophy win down the road at Mansfield, with summer arrival Alfie Beestin scoring, was a nice little bonus, too.

6: Hull City (down three) LWWWWL.

Paid for a lapse in concentration late on in Saturday’s last-gasp televised home loss to Manchester United, although the fact that they pushed Jose Mourinho’s expensively-assembled side until the bitter end did provide succour, if not points. And the praise of the Portuguese, who hailed their spirit.

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Transfer developments at the end of August have at least provided a bit of balm for Hull supporters too, with six players brought in following rapid beat-the-deadline moves.

7: North Ferriby LLWWLL (down one).

It is the sort of season where the Villagers will have a setback or two and then need to chisel out a result.

Unlucky in going down late on against Barrow on Bank Holiday Monday, having taken nothing from their long weekend trip to Aldershot.

Two points above the drop zone and they would take that come May, for sure.

8: Sheffield Wednesday WLDLLD (up one).

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Put the wedge in the door with a half-decent point at Brentford, which led Carlos Carvalhal to declare that the ‘heart and soul’ of his side was back after disappointing defeats to Leeds and Burton.

Better from Wednesday, who looked more back to their old selves, although a haul of five points from a possible 15 at the start of the Championship season is unremarkable.

9: Leeds United (down one). WLDWWL.

As ever with Leeds, the only thing certain about them in recent years has been their inconsistency alongside their propensity to gift poor goals at regular intervals.

Saturday was a case in point at the City Ground, with Forest hardly having to work hard for their opening two goals, which owed more to a defensive dereliction of duty.

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Disappointing from Leeds, given the promise at Hillsborough.

10: Sheffield United (up three) LDLLWD.

Off the bottom of League One and about time would be the cry from Unitedites.

How the Blades needed a win however it came against Chris Wilder’s old club Oxford United and they got it - although it would not have been a surprise to seasoned Blades fans that they did it the hard way after going behind.

But you have to start somewhere and Wilder has his first league win as Blades chief now thankfully ticked off. More please..

11: York City (unchanged) WDLLWL.

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After showing their clinical edge with a much-needed 4-1 weekend win over Woking, the Minstermen were edged out 2-1 at Wrexham on Bank Holiday Monday after paying the price for switching off.

The main plus point was Richard Brodie netting for a fourth straight game, although City have yet to truly make their mark at National League level yet. Still acclimatising.

12: Rotherham United DLLLWL (down two).

The Millers’ poor early season form on the road reached a nadir at Oakwell as they capitulated in sorry fashion on the restart to go down 4-0.

It was abject fare in front of the big visiting contingent, with Alan Stubbs’ side folding after Barnsley hit the opener.

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The concession of ten goals, with none scored, en route to three convincing Championship losses on their travels is pretty damning stuff, with salt rubbed into the wounds by the fact that Saturday’s game was a derby.

A bit of an early-season crisis for the Millers already. The new players need to shape up and improve fast.

13: Guiseley (down one) LLLLLL.

A change in the dug-out has not yielded an upturn in results, with interim-boss Adam Lockwood still waiting for his first win and points.

He was at least afforded some consolation in seeing his side - which featured several changes - turn in a disciplined televised showing at leaders Tranmere on Monday and despite not taking anything home from the Wirral, there was encouragement.

It was a far cry from Saturday’s 4-1 home reverse to Bromley, for sure.

But Guiseley don’t half need a win. Or a least a point after seven straight losses..