Bruce tips Owls to bounce back

The defender who played in Wednesday's 4-2 win against Hartlepool at the Millennium Stadium said: "Wednesday have brought in some new players; it may take a couple of games for them to gel together.

"We lost our first three games last season but recovered from it.

"Wednesday are a good a team, a good club, and I'm sure they'll bounce back."

The defender is also tipping the Owls' new striker Francis Jeffers to be as big a hit at Hillsborough as he was while on loan at Portman Road last season.

Jeffers, who was wanted by Ipswich this summer before he joined the Owls, had a quiet game last Saturday as Wednesday were mostly on the defensive in slumping to a 4-1 defeat.

Brian Laws said that the club needed to sharpen the striker's match fitness.

Bruce said: "In Frankie's defence, he's had a long pre-season, not knowing where he was going to be. He hasn't had many games. It's going to take a couple of weeks to get his sharpness.

"I'm sure he'll grab goals, because he's shown over the years what a quality player he is. We wanted Frankie to come to us."

Meanwhile, Chris Brunt now begins a three-match domestic ban for his pre-season sending-off in Holland but remains eligible for Northern Ireland's Euro 2008 qualifier against Liechtenstein a week tomorrow and is in Nigel Worthington's first squad.

Ex-Owls defender Worthington said: "I am looking forward to the challenge because it is a new experience and different to club management," he said.

"We have some good young talent, and that is pleasing. However, we cannot afford to dismiss Liechtenstein. That would be foolish. We will need to be fully committed."

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