Power Rankings: The risers and fallers of Yorkshire football

There have been some significant rises and falls this week, despite a lack of action in the Championship, thanks to results in the lower divisions and managerial appointments elsewhere.

Remember, these rankings are based on form and expectation, with a little bit of the general mood thrown in.

1: Sheffield Wednesday (-)

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Wednesday have benefitted from a lack of action over the international break, keeping top spot in The Yorkshire Post Power Rankings.

The South Yorkshire side have been something of a surprise package in the Championship this season, thanks to their four-match winning streak.

However, they will be keen not to lose their momentum once domestic football returns for the top two divisions on Saturday.

They face high-flying Hull City at Hillsborough. Worryingly for the Owls, Hull have won their last two away games.

2) Middlesbrough (-)

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Middlesbrough have been left stewing over the last week and a half, having lost in the league for the first time since August prior to the international break.

They fell to a 2-0 loss against Reading away from home. While that stopped their winning momentum short, Boro have been given an opportunity to reflect and consider why the loss happened.

Aitor Karanka spoke on Tuesday of the need to not view the division as easy this year. It would not be a surprise to see his side come quickly out of the blocks against Fulham on Saturday.

3) Hull (-)

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Hull may be positioned towards the top of the table, but it has to be assumed that automatic promotion is the target this season for Steve Bruce’s side. Their form has been up and down all campaign, with no consistent run having been put together.

However, they have a chance to build some momentum after the international break, travelling to Hillsborough to take on Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

Their position is helped by the generally poor performance of every other Yorkshire side over the break.

4) Barnsley (+3)

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Tuesday night’s win against Bradford City in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy understandably moves Barnsley up this week’s Power Rankings.

Goals from Marley Watkins and Alfie Mawson mean Barnsley are through to the northern quarter-finals of the competition.

However, it is league form that Barnsley have to worry about. They have not won in two games in League One, losing against Crewe on Saturday.

Barnsley desperately need to take the momentum from the cup into this weekend’s match against Southend United, although they are currently comfortable in mid-table.

5) Bradford City (-1)

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Difficult conditions at Valley Parade over the last week have left Bradford playing catch-up after two postponements.

They played one of their rescheduled games on Tuesday night, losing to Yorkshire rivals Barnsley and exiting the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.City also missed out on an opportunity to get some points on the board when their game against struggling Blackpool was postponed at the weekend.

Saturday’s game against Doncaster now seems incredibly important. Bradford have only won one in six, a record they will be keen to improve, but with Rovers likely to appoint a new manager by then, they could be playing them at the wrong time.

6) Sheffield United (+7)

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Last week, we said Sheffield United had been disappointing since the early stages of the season, and that they needed to start picking up wins if they wanted to match up to pre-season expectations.

Saturday’s 3-2 win against Rochdale has helped, and their recent record no longer looks so bad. In fact, they’re now back in the play-off positions.

What Rochdale did show, however, is that United are struggling defensively this season. Rochdale repeatedly fought their way back into the game, making the Blades work far harder than they should have.

That might be something that Nigel Adkins decides to think about before his side visit Oldham this Saturday. Adkins will want to close the gap on Burton in second with another win.

7) Rotherham United (-1)

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Rotherham have been bumped down a place by their lack of action over the international break and the improvement of other sides, but things are looking up at the New York Stadium.

The appointment of Neil Redfearn is a relatively big one for Rotherham.Redfearn showed his ability to turn around a relegation battle last season at Leeds, and if he is given the remit to rebuild Rotherham, he’s shown his qualities for developing young talent. Rotherham visit Brentford on Saturday, a perfect opportunity for Redfearn to outline his credentials and show Leeds owner Massimo Cellino that he was wrong to dispense with him in the summer.

8) Huddersfield Town (-)

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The international break has brought no drama at Huddersfield, and that is for the best. They sit 18th in the league, slightly below where they will hope to be at the end of the season.Town did suffer a debilitating 3-0 loss against Wolves prior to the international break, and they will be keen to put their work at the training ground to work when they face Ipswich on Saturday.

At the very least, Huddersfield need to start getting points on the board to avoid being dragged into another relegation battle.

9) Leeds United (-)

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It feels like nothing has happened at Elland Road this international break, which is good news for fans who are used to constant drama.

In fact, Leeds players have performed while with their national sides - Lewis Cook picked up an assist for England Under-19s, Jordan Botaka scored for DR Congo, and most impressively,

Stuart Dallas aided Northern Ireland’s qualification for Euro 2016. Uwe Rosler will be hoping that they can bring back that form for the visit of high-flying Brighton on Saturday.

This is especially the case given Leeds will want to avoid breaking an unwanted record - if they do not beat Brighton, it will be the longest run without a win at home in their history.

10) York City (-)

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A draw against Luton Town away from home on Saturday speaks for York’s form throughout the season - they have struggled terribly to pick up wins. Nineteenth in League Two is not a position they would have been hoping to find themselves in at the start of the campaign. However, their position in our rankings has not changed due to the significantly worse performances of those around them.

York need to start picking up wins - two so far this season is not good enough - and Saturday’s visit to Barnet, 21st in the table, is a good place to start.

11) Doncaster Rovers (-)

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The situation at Doncaster seems almost preposterous.

They have been without a permanent manager for well over a month. Interim manager Rob

Jones has been left without any indication over whether he will get the job on a permanent

basis, despite being interviewed for the position this week.

Something needs to be done soon, in terms of appointing a new boss, especially given the side’s recent form.

Rovers are slipping towards the relegation zone, a position they will not want to find themselves in come the end of the campaign.

12) Guiseley (-7)

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Guiseley’s previous good form seems like a lifetime ago. Three losses on the trot, capped off by Saturday’s 3-0 capitulation against Forest Green, mean that Guiseley will be starting to wonder where their next points are coming from.

A visit to Wrexham on Wednesday is a tough test. It could take the visit of Boreham Wood on Saturday for Guiseley to realistically turn around their poor run. Their sudden drop comes because of that 3-0 loss, enough to make them start looking over their shoulders at the relegation zone.

13) FC Halifax Town (-1)

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The appointment of a new manager should bring a boost to a football club.

That has simply not been the case for Halifax, who have lost three of their four games since Darren Kelly took charge of the club.

Even more worryingly, they have conceded 18 goals over those four games. The games against Cheltenham and Grimsby included two seven goal concessions, a staggering figure.

The club are 23rd in the league and really need to turn around their current slump if they want to avoid relegation. Recent results suggest it may be harder than anticipated.