Power Rankings: Wednesday and Leeds on the rise, Blades, Doncaster and Barnsley plummet


Find out how your club has ranked this week below:
1) Sheffield Wednesday (Up 1)
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As a general rule, when you beat the holders of the FA Cup 3-0, you probably deserve to jump to the top of The Yorkshire Post Power Rankings.
Wednesday’s display against Arsenal on Tuesday night was absolutely magnificent, with the Owls blowing away their Premier League opposition.
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Hide AdIt followed a 2-1 victory against Rotherham in the league on Saturday that leaves Wednesday ninth in the league.


If they can follow up their League Cup victory with more good form, the Owls could, in the words of the fans’ current favourite song, be on their way back.
2: Hull City (Down 1)
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Hull are unfortunate to drop off top spot, having beaten Premier League opposition themselves on Tuesday night.
Admittedly, Leicester City fielded a side with ten changes, but the high-flying Foxes are no scrubs and a win against them is a major plus for Hull.
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Hide AdThey have also seemingly sorted out their consistently woes, winning two games in a row. Their 2-0 victory against Birmingham City on Saturday moved them to second in the league.
The Tigers are now well positioned in the Championship for an automatic promotion push, which will almost certainly be the minimum aim for the season.
3) Middlesbrough (Up 4)
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Better from Middlesbrough, who looked as though they were struggling after the international break.
Given the failure to win promotion through the play-offs last year, the North Yorkshire side will almost certainly be hoping to avoid that potential route out of the Championship.
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Hide AdA 3-1 win away from home against Wolves helped outline their potential to occupy one of the top spots in the division.
Boro are now fourth in the league, only a point off second, and need to fully recapture their early season form going into the next international break.
4) FC Halifax Town (Up 8)
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A staggering rise up the rankings for Halifax, who have benefitted from the fact that no other side in Yorkshire, barring the top three, has won their most recent game.
Town were exceptional in the first half against Guiseley on Saturday and could probably consider themselves to be unfortunate not to win the game.
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Hide AdOn Tuesday night, they played the role of away side well, taking in pressure from the Lions before blitzing them.
Seven minutes from the end of extra-time that paid off, with James Bolton’s rifled and deflected shot confirming an FA Cup first round tie against Wycombe Wanderers.
5) Leeds United (Up 8)
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Incredible news for The Whites, who occupy their highest ever position in the Power Rankings on the back of two draws since the appointment of Steve Evans.
Admittedly, Leeds were very unfortunate not to win against Fulham last Wednesday, and would have beaten Bolton on Saturday if it was not for another goalkeeping error from Marco Silvestri.
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Hide AdAfter two solid displays, United need a win, and there will be few better opportunities than Thursday’s visit of Blackburn Rovers.
Leeds have not won at Elland Road since March, a run Evans will be very keen to halt.
6) Bradford City (Down 2)
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A solid, if unspectacular, showing from the Bantams at the weekend gave them a 1-1 draw against Wigan Athletic.
They drop down a place purely because of the results of those above them, but City can be happy with their recent form.
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Hide AdBradford face a trip to Millwall at the weekend, with The Den never an easy ground to visit.
A win could move them as high as eighth, closer to where Phil Parkinson’s side will want to be this season.
7) Huddersfield Town (Down 2)
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Unfortunately for Town, a loss in their last games knocks them down the rankings.
There are other factors at play though - very few teams in the Championship will present as tough a test as Derby County, who have one of the best squads in the division.
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Hide AdIt is therefore no real slight on the Terriers that they lost 2-1 against them on Saturday. Town could struggle over the next few games, with trips to Burnley and Reading before a local
derby against Leeds.
8) Guiseley (Up 1)
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It’s odd that a draw and a loss would move Guiseley up the rankings, but there are caveats.
On Saturday, the Lions played well after a drab first-half, and were the dominant side for much of the game at Nethermoor on Tuesday night.
However, they’re on a bad run and need to turn it around soon.
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Hide AdWelling United visit on Saturday, as good a fixture as any to kickstart a season.
9) Sheffield United (Down 6)
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Just when we were praising the Blades, they go and drop more points.
A presumed automatic promotion push has not really got going this campaign, and Nigel Adkins will not have been happy with his side’s 2-1 home loss to Millwall.
They are now five points off second place in the table, which is where they’ll want to be, at the least, come May.
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Hide AdTheir form has not been dreadful, but it is still not the form of a side guaranteed to head into the Championship.
10) Rotherham United (Down 2)
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It has not been an easy start for Neil Redfearn since taking over at the New York Stadium.
Tough games against Brentford and Reading was followed by a 2-1 loss when hosting Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night.
Judging by their win against Arsenal, the Owls are a tough team to face, which should not reflect too poorly on Redfearn.
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Hide AdHowever, he will want a win soon to prove that the Millers have made the right decision by appointing him.
11) York City (Down 1)
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York’s recent record is not good, to put it simply.
Only one win in their last six games means that the Minstermen are 21st in League Two, looking nervously over their shoulders.
That run explained the dismissal of Russ Wilcox, and City will need to appoint the right man if they want to pull away from the bottom of the table.
A 3-1 loss to AFC Wimbledon at the weekend was a blow, but York have the benefit of time to sort out their faltering campaign.
12) Doncaster Rovers (Down 6)
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Oh dear Doncaster.
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Hide AdA new manager in and finally a win, everything seemed better at the Keepmoat last time we looked at the rankings.
However, Darren Ferguson’s side crashed to a 4-0 defeat against his former club Peterborough away from home on Saturday, before losing 2-0 to Millwall on Tuesday night.
It is not the start any new manager would hope for, and Ferguson will be hoping for better when Colchester visit on Saturday.
13) Barnsley (Down two)
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It’s not going particularly well at Oakwell. The Tykes have only won once in their last six games, a 2-1 win against Bradford City in the Football League Trophy.
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Hide AdSince then, they’ve lost three in a row, including a 1-0 defeat to Fleetwood Town on Saturday. They’re now 21st in League One, on the same number of points as Doncaster, with things looking particularly dire for the two Yorkshire teams at the foot of the third tier.