No rest for the wicked as Sheffield Wednesday battle to take back foothold in automatic promotion race

The relegation-threatened Lancashire side arrive at S6 fresh off ending a six-match run without a win – a run of results the Owls are looking to kill themselves.

Injury-battered Wednesday are a team unrecognisable from the one that went half a season unbeaten up until a few weeks ago and have tumbled from the top two at the expense of Ipswich Town.

Moore promised supporters a fighting spirit for the Easter Monday battle.

“We keep going,” said the Owls boss. “We’ve got another game on Monday and in football it can change from week to week.

“The boys have been battling and will continue to battle and fight. Things went against us [at Oxford], but I can’t say anything else for the boys, you saw another committed performance from the boys who ran their legs into the ground. That’s what we want.”

Wednesday could force Callum Paterson back from injury ahead of schedule with Michael Smith having gone down with a calf strain late last week.

Asked his thoughts on the race for automatic promotion and whether he believes he and his players can jump back into that top two, Moore spoke confidently that an upturn in fortunes is on the way.

“While it’s a possibility, without a doubt,” he said on their automatic promotion chances. “I have every faith in the players, in the group that with six games still to go and a lot of football still to be played. We’ll continue to press on.

“Our mentality has always been to win games. That is always the sole mentality. I think that’s what we’ll continue to do and we’ll just re-focus for Monday.

“We’ll regroup, we’ll reflect on the game but when we wake up it has to be about Monday.

“It’s a huge game because it’s the next game. It wouldn’t matter who it was. It’ll be a tough game they’re the team that’s fighting for their lives and we’re a team battling at the top end of the table.”

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