After last week’s defeat at Derby County, Wycombe’s daunting schedule continues when they face another of the ‘giants’ of League One with the long trip to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, September 24.

Gareth Ainsworth must have winced when the fixtures for the new campaign were announced, as September and October could not have provided his Wanderers team with a more difficult challenge to get their season up and running.

They were pitted against the three teams relegated from the Championship last season plus five of the top eight finishers from League One.

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To make matters worse, Ainsworth then lost three key players before a ball had been kicked.

The void left by the departures of David Stockdale, Anthony Stewart and Bayo Akinfenwa was always going to be difficult to fill, even before injuries ruled out the likes of Curtis Thompson, Brandon Hanlan and Sullay Kaikai before the season had started.

Further injuries to last season’s top scorer Sam Vokes and defender Ryan Tafazolli, plus the absence of Josh Scowen at Derby, mean Ainsworth has yet to have the luxury of fielding a settled starting eleven.

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To add to the manager’s problems, it is well known that beaten play off finalists traditionally start the following campaign slowly, so it is hardly surprising that Wanderers have been inconsistent in the first two months of the season.

They will need to be at their best to take anything from Saturday’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday.

Darren Moore’s team finished fourth last season but lost their play-off semi-final against Sunderland, who went on to gain promotion by beating the Chairboys in the final.

The Owls are currently fourth in League One with five wins from nine games and their only home defeat came against Yorkshire rivals Barnsley.

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Last week they held undefeated leaders Ipswich Town to a 2-2 draw at Hillsborough.

Wednesday boast some of the top players in the division including former Wanderers goalkeeper Stockdale, Scotland international midfielder Barry Bannan, and last season’s top scorer Lee Gregory.

Wanderers took four points off Wednesday last season with Jordan Obita scoring in both games, a 2-2 draw at Hillsborough and a 1-0 win at Adams Park. A repeat performance on Saturday is just what Ainsworth’s men need at this tough time.