Power Rankings: Owls climb, Barnsley drop, Leeds remain steady

There have been hints of it throughout the season, but Carlos Carvalhal’s side continue to go from strength to strength in the league.

They may not top the league - that’s Hull City’s job - but they have moved up the Power Rankings.

Find out where your team stand:

1) Sheffield Wednesday (up one)

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Against Birmingham it took a spirit display to secure three points, but against Brentford the Owls truly outlined their promotion credentials.

The Bees are no also rans in the Championship, but Wednesday absolutely tore apart their opponents to win 4-0.

Yes, Brentford did have a player sent off in the first five minutes, but it was still an impressive result for the Hillsborough side.

They are now up to fifth in the league and deservedly top our Power Rankings.

2) Hull City (up one)

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A win at the weekend and a draw on Tuesday night put Hull back on top of the Championship after their disappointing loss against Burnley.

Blackburn are never an easy team to visit, but they came away from Ewood Park with a commendable 2-0 win.

They did draw with Brighton on Tuesday, but that was a respectable 0-0 against another promotion challenging side.

Importantly, it put them back in the driver’s seat for the rest of the season.

3) Barnsley (down two)

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It seemed to be an upward trajectory for Barnsley, who went from one of the worst runs in the Football League to one of the best.

That continued despite the departure of Lee Johnson with the 3-0 win against Bury.

However, they did fall to a defeat against Gillingham on Saturday, losing 2-1.

It will have to be hoped that that was a blip more than anything and that the Tykes can pick themselves up and dust themselves down.

4) FC Halifax Town (-)

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Halifax Town managed to progress in the FA Trophy against Chester last Wednesday.

That will have provided them with a boost, but it will not have been seen as being as important as the National League game against Forest Green on Saturday.

Their 2-0 defeat to Forest Green, who are second in the division, has left them back in the relegation zone.

Dropping out of the National League is something the Shaymen have to avoid.

5) Middlesbrough (-)

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It has not been an easy time for Middlesbrough.

They have not won in five and have fallen away from top spot in the second tier.

However, their win at Leeds on Monday deserved commendation, although it did highlight some issues.

There’s clearly a need to add pace to the side and find a way to get Jordan Rhodes working within their system. Their apparent move for Jefferson Montero would go some way to achieving that.

6) Huddersfield Town (up two)

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It took a while, but Huddersfield Town finally have another win to their name.

The Terriers will also be delighted with the circumstances behind it.

Nottingham Forest had the longest undefeated streak in the division and had just been to Elland Road and come away with a simple win.

For Town to beat them 2-0 on the road was a superb result, and understandably pushes them back up the rankings.

7) Leeds United (-)

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Leeds deserve credit for the manner in which they handled Middlesbrough on Monday, not least for nullifying Jordan Rhodes on his full debut.

The Whites also created some of the better chances in the game, and might have felt unfortunate not to have won.

A better display is what will have been demanded by the club’s faithful fans after the shocker against Nottingham Forest.

Leeds now have one of their last important games this season coming up - the FA Cup clash with Watford.

8) Guiseley (down one)

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Guiseley are unfortunate to move down in the Power Rankings this week.

They did lose against Dover Athletic on Tuesday night to go out of the FA Trophy, which will have been a blow.

However, their 1-0 win against Woking on Saturday was far more important to their aim for the season - staying in the National League.

They are en route to doing that, having opened up a seven point gap on the relegation places.

9) York City (up one)

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York City are out of the relegation zone, which is a quite frankly staggering turn of events.

However, the Minstermen have been able to welcome back a raft of important players from injury and suspension.

That combined with the resultant two wins on the spin - against Notts County and Exeter City at home - for the first time this season, has put them up to 22nd.

Keep on climbing would be our message to Jackie McNamara.

10) Bradford City (up two)

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There was a real fear brewing at Valley Parade that their season was tailing off.

However, two wins in a row and three from their last four has seen the Bantams climb back up to eighth in League One.

That was achieved through a 4-0 mauling of Peterborough away from home and a 2-0 win against Southend United at the Parade.

They are now only three points away from the play-off places with a game in-hand, a good position for them to be in at this stage of the campaign.

11) Doncaster Rovers (down two)

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Doncaster have gone from being mentioned as outside hopefuls for the play-offs to dropping dangerously low down the table.

Darren Ferguson managed to put an exceptional run together shortly after his appointment, but the momentum has been arrested.

That’s clear from their lack of victories in their last six games.

It was highlighted even further by the 1-0 defeat against Sheffield United on Saturday, a team who struggle for wins themselves.

12) Sheffield United (-)

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Sheffield United would not be in the same position they were last week if it were not for the nature of their loss to Bury on Tuesday night.

After all, they managed a commendable 1-0 win against Doncaster on Saturday.

However, when visiting the Shakers, the Blades played very poorly, with their first-half display particularly worthy of criticism.

Furthermore, any hope of promotion seems to be slipping away.

13) Rotherham United (-)

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It was all change for Rotherham United last week as they dismissed Neil Redfearn and brought in Neil Warnock.

That resulted in an impressive 0-0 draw at home against Birmingham City.

The point against the Blues was even more notable given that the Millers had two players sent off.

It bodes well for Rotherham’s hopes of staying in the division this season.