Crystal clear message sent to Sheffield Wednesday players ahead of Cambridge United trip

A trip to Cambridge United is next up for the Owls, with the Us on a run of three league defeats on the spin. Their only fixture with a so-called promotion rival comes at Derby County on December 3.

As is his style, Moore rejected the notion that Wednesday had been dealt a kind hand with their upcoming run and laid down a gauntlet of professionalism from his players.

“In my professional approach I would never look at any fixture and say that one is favourable or anything,” he said. “As I always say, we are one of 24 teams in this league and honestly, the league for reputations, size of club and everything, it gives you nothing.

“What I'm calling on the players to do is perform. It's about consistently performing and performing well, every time they pull on the jersey, to show the fans what they can do and perform, every time they come into training, to perform and get better.

“Those are the demands I put on the players. As a manager, the thing that frightens me most is not bringing improvement to the players. I want to show them that they're improving and move them forward while plying winning football.

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“I'll only look forward to the next game. It's a busy month, but we'll approach that in the same manner.”