Things have taken a turn for the better at Sheffield Wednesday and the Owls look a decent bet to beat Yeovil at Huish Park on Saturday.

Alan Irvine's men were motoring at the start of the season when they picked up 10 points from the opening four matches, at which point punters were fully expecting them to take the division by the scruff of the neck.

However, those early results served only to mask some dire financial concerns behind the scenes and it was probably no coincidence that results took a nosedive with four straight defeats following the announcement of a winding-up order from HMRC over an unpaid tax bill.

But an estimated £2m cash boost from an as-yet-anonymous investor has brought a huge sense of relief around Hillsborough and the slump in results has been arrested to such an extent that Wednesday were woeful by their own admission last weekend but still managed to claim the spoils.

Irvine described how he had to pick his players up following their 1-0 victory over a vibrant Leyton Orient side by spelling out the virtues of having the ability to 'win ugly'.

Indeed, there's no question that, man for man, the Steel City outfit possess the quality and pedigree to win football matches in all manner of ways at this level and they should head to Somerset mindful of the qualities that brought them an excellent 2-0 victory at Notts County last time out on the road.

Yeovil will doubtless be fancying their chances after recording back-to-back 1-0 away wins at Walsall and Rochdale over the past fortnight, but the expectation that comes with those results will probably do them no favours.

When you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, there's an obvious gulf between the two teams and the 2.37 available on the away win could be one of those prices you look back on with a wry smile come the end of the season.

Meanwhile, for all of their energy in south Yorkshire last weekend, Leyton Orient have struggled to make an impression on the 'goals for' column lately and there's also some value to be had in Bet365's 3.75 quote on Hartlepool to keep a clean sheet at Brisbane Road.

Pools might not be brimming with star quality but caretaker boss Mick Wadsworth has quickly discovered that shut-outs lead them on the road to riches with three in quick succession as they racked up a trio of wins in the space of seven days last week.

The North East side had started the season leaking like a sieve at Victoria Park, shipping 15 goals in their first five home games, but an embarrassing 4-0 defeat against Carlisle appears to have been the catalyst for a sudden turnaround - not that there was ever much wrong with their away form.

A late strike from Lewis Guy at MK Dons in early September remains the only goal conceded in five road trips and Orient simply don't possess the firepower to put us off the big price on them firing a fourth blank in five outings here.

The 9/2 'win to nil' price on the visitors is also tempting but given Pools' acceptance of goalless draws at Rochdale and Brentford already this term, we'll stick with the basic clean sheet option.

PICKS:
Sheffield Wednesday to beat Yeovil at 2.37 at Bet365.
Hartlepool to keep a clean sheet against Leyton Orient at 3.75 at Bet365.