May believes hard work will translate into goals return

The Owls host Wigan today in the Championship, with their last win having come over two months ago against Reading.

Having scored just three league goals at home all season, the pressure is mounting on head coach Stuart Gray to end their winless run.

“The responsibility is definitely on the strikers to get goals,” said summer signing May.

“We need to get the defence and attack clicking at the same time again and then we can start looking up the table.”

May and Atdhe Nuhiu are Wednesday’s main strikers, with Chris Maguire used in a wide midfield berth and Caolan Lavery set for his first appearance of the season today after an ankle injury.

It means the spotlight is on the duo to deliver, but May believes the mood in the camp is still high.

“We need to start hitting the target and being more confident as a team,” he said. “I think it will come.

“The training has been good this week. We have played at a good tempo and the atmosphere is still high at the club considering the barren spell in terms of a win.

“We are all confident going into Saturday and we feel we can get three points.”

May has netted four goals this season – which includes one for former club St Johnstone – his last coming on September 20, the winner against Reading. May’s scoring drought has coincided with Owls’ winless run, which has seen them draw seven and lose four. After netting 27 goals in Scotland last term, the recent lack of success is proving to be a testing time for 22-year-old May.

He said: ”You go through different spells as strikers. This spell without scoring is a little bit longer than I’m used to. I’m not going to lose confidence.

“I’m going to keep working hard and it will come. It will come eventually and I might hit a little purple patch.

“I would have liked to have scored more goals but I’ve had ones off the line and where I’ve hit the post and bar at the same time,” he said, referring to last week at Huddersfield Town, when an effort struck the underside of the crossbar before rebounding to safety off a post.

“It doesn’t seem to be going in for anyone. We are not going to lose sleep over that. We can’t change what’s happened. We have to look forward to the next game. I want to score in every game.”