Norwich City's bid to secure their Championship status could be given a boost if rivals Sheffield Wednesday are punished for including too many loan players in their squad at the weekend.

Norwich City's bid to secure their Championship status could be given a boost if rivals Sheffield Wednesday are punished for including too many loan players in their squad at the weekend.

The Football League are investigating the Owls and could dock them points after they named six loan players in their 16 for the 1-1 draw against Stoke City at Hillsborough on Saturday.

The investigation was demanded by the Potters after Frenchman Franck Songo'o scored a second-half equaliser, and the matter could have a dramatic effect on both ends of the table if Stoke's points tally is adjusted.

Wednesday remain third from bottom, four points behind the Canaries but with two games in hand. Saturday's draw left the Owls just one point behind Southampton and Barnsley.

League rules state that a maximum of five loan players, either short or long-term, can be named in the 16 but the Owls named six.

Graham Kavanagh (Sunderland), Ben Sahar (Chelsea) and Songo'o (Portsmouth) started the game and Adam Bolder (Queen's Park Rangers), Enoch Showunmi (Bristol City) and Bartosz Slusarski (West Bromwich Albion) were on the bench.

Stoke fielded five loan players in their squad and were forced to leave out Paul Gallagher and Gabriel Zakuani to comply with the laws.

Only Showunmi came off the bench and the Owls will be hoping that this fact will weigh in their favour and that they can escape with a fine rather than a point deduction.

However, with the points situation so tight at both the top and the bottom, that may not be enough to placate other clubs, including Stoke.

The Canaries have six players on loan but have only been able to use five in any one game, with Mo Camara the man left out of the 16 at Bristol City on Saturday.