Following a few weeks out injured new Owls Blogger Rory McAllister returns to the blog line up for his second start of the season.

Rory's 2nd start is his away blog debut for the trip to the Madejski, well it's more like a home debut for Rory...

"Dear Wednesdayites,

If you missed my first blog, my name is Rory McAllister and I've been labelled as "The Southern Owl". That's ok. I kind of like it. It's nice to feel unique and be an individual. I've been a Wednesday fan for around 17 years and have absolutely NO connection with the city of Sheffield at all. I know. But that doesn't mean I don't connect with Wednesday. To the contrary. I'm from the south and support a team from the Steel City but I'm not alone. One of the comments from my first blog was from a chap called 'Chris' (I don't know any more than that) and he's from Camberley in Surrey - just 5 miles or so from me in Ascot, Berkshire. So why Wednesday? The short story is I was (and still am) a massive fan of Chris Waddle. I'll let you fill in the blanks from there.

I'm sure you can...

Another thing I was asked (from my last blog) was to talk about a matchday for me when we're at home. I've had a think about that and will talk about it in my next blog - reason being our next game is away to Reading, this Saturday. I'll outline my first Hillsborough experience next time around. And I do like to get up to Hillsborough as much as I can. This blog though, in the main is about away fixtures and my ever-important equation.

Obviously, as you do, I keep a very keen interest on the relegations scrap - and seeing as we've been down there too much for my liking in recent seasons, Wednesday find themselves there again. I really don't like that we've played (at time of press) one more game than the others.

However, with Reading's extra-time thriller against West Brom this week I'm hoping for one thing. That's right. That the Reading players will be knackered. That'd be brilliant! Surely we can win on Saturday if that's the case?!

I'm not saying for one minute that we can only beat a tired side, but it'll help. I'm desperate for Wednesday to win as last time we sat in the Madejski Stadium we has six goals thumped past us. Our chorus singing of "We only want one...!" towards the end sums us up as fans.

And hopefully catches the attention of other supporters that we're a bloody good bunch. And that's why I love being a Wednesday fan. We're bloody marvellous. We are!!!

There's another reason why I'm so keen on the relegation scrap though.

And that's due to who goes down. Last season I was unhappy that Southampton dropped down - and Charlton for that matter. I didn't really care for Norwich - it's too far. Yes. I'm talking in terms of distance from my house. Southampton and Charlton were nice easy-to-get-to away fixtures for me! There's only one team south of me this season and that's Plymouth. The rest of the teams in the Championship are up North or a fair distance except Reading, QPR, Palace and Watford. But you get the luck of the draw with the way the fixtures land. And yes, I'm talking about those tricky Tuesday nights. As I said for the rest of the teams - they're mostly up North. Not really a problem if you live in Sheffield. Or is it?

You see - you and I are caught in the same bag. Just opposite ends of the country. If you're reading this living in Sheffield or in the North you sneer and go grumpy-faced when you realise Wednesday's next fixture is down south - especially if it's a Tuesday night. Who wants to travel back up the M1 at 12:37am and still be 164 miles away from home? The same happens for me in reverse. Newcastle, Middlesbrough and Doncaster - I might as well take a week off. Sure it can be done, but it's knackering and you always pay for it the next day at work. A great idea at the time but after a 3-0 thumping let's say - not so good. I met one fan at the Leicester away game in December who said at half-time, "Right. That's it. I ain't spending me money anymore. Following them round only to see performances like that and us get beat. I've 'ad enough". I'll bet he's still at the games though. And good on him if he is.

Since then, we've had a change of Manager, and, a slight change iof form. Well, through January anyway. It's gone a bit wrong since then. So what's my long-convoluted point? Well it's that we all say stuff like that - "That's it. No more. Sod Wednesday etc etc" but the bug doesn't go away does it? Some of us have more money and time than others. Some of us aren't holding families down. Whatever our circumstances, I don't feel the pressure to go to every game - home or away. And with some clubs you get do that. I've heard other fans damned in pubs by fellow supporters if the effort's not made - I've never had that with Wednesday. I get to as many games as I can using the following equation that you may well be familiar with(!):-

*money x time + fixture distance/day of the week = do I go or not. (Sometimes it ends up as 'do I go or not, squared' - should train ticket/travelodge be involved and the cost shoots up).*

I've used the equation as I always do for each match. I'm going on Saturday against Reading. Of course I am. How could I not? I'll also be at QPR in a few weeks and I'm toying with the Coventry away fixture, too - our position could be critical by then. Anyway, regarding Saturday afternoon; who am I kidding?.....I really am bricking it now....please Wednesday, please win on Saturday...please don't get thumped 6-0 again this weekend. Please! I'll be watching through my hands slotted across my face.

It won't happen again, surely?! We'll be ok. I even feel we may sneak it. Come on Wednesday!!!

Talking about away games - by the time it gets to the Cardiff away fixture we should know our fate - I'll be at that one too. And this is where distance isn't a problem - as before - we revert back to the equation:-* money x time + fixture/distance = do I go or not*. However, I  don't end up with a 'do I go or not squared' answer this time. The equation differs slightly as we chuck in the sometimes-the-case extra addition:- '*in-laws live near fixture'* so; the equation becomes* money x time + in-laws location/fixture distance/day of the week = yes I do go; but ignore mother-in-law.*

I think the point is - as fans we get along to what we can manage. I'd love to be able to go every game. I'm sure you're the same? But I can't for reasons outlined in the equation.

So, the next time you check the fixture list to see Wednesday playing away to Plymouth or QPR, or Cardiff or Watford for that matter, and you don't fancy the trip as the equation doesn't add up, it doesn't make you any less of a fan. And I, for one, certainly wouldn't think less of you.

Remember that us Southerners have the same problem when we look and see Barnsley, Doncaster or Preston as the next fixture. God forbid Newcastle. But I doubt we'll have that problem next season, they're going up.

As for us?! Of course I hope we stay up! Of course I hope for that! But I hope Reading stay up too. My point being that I wouldn't want to miss an away fixture 12 miles from my house would I? Palace, Watford and QPR you can all stay up, too. I like being able to see my team play without a trip up the tread-mill that is the M1 (it just seems to go on and on, doesn't it?!)

I'll see you Saturday at the Madejski Stadium if you're going. I might even wear the missus' pink-striped Wednesday hat so you know it's me. If you see me with it on, come and say hello. We're not all posh buggers who live in great big castles down here. I tell you, I'd rather be an Owl than a Toff!

UP THE OWLS!!!

- Rory The Southern Owl