Why Garry Monk cannot fault the Sheffield Wednesday support

A mood of disharmony prevailed among sections of the club's fanbase four days earlier amid damning chants of ''You're not fit to wear the shirt' in a torrid first half en route to the Owls' desperately disappointing 3-1 home loss to Derby County - which continued the club's abject Championship form.

But there was no hang-over whatsoever in Wednesday's cup encounter with City - with the home contingent in a crowd of just under 21,000 - which Monk believes would have been a fair bit higher if the game was not designated for live TV coverage - backing the hosts' hard-working efforts from the first minute to the last.

The Owls' gritty performance ensured that the home support stuck with them all night and Monk is conscious of the fact that his players' exertions must set the template for the rest of the season.

Monk said: "TV kills that (the crowd number). But I thought they (supporters) were fantastic. You could see in the first 20 seconds on the near side when we chased the ball down and a massive roar went up.

"Naturally, when you play teams like Man City and it is a big calibre game, more fans are up for that.

"But they (Owls supporters) are fantastic. I am not here to complain about anything. As I said before, they have to right to do whatever they want to do. They have been right behind us.

"Everyone has been frustrated and disappointed with this period. But we are trying to fight as hard as we can to get out of it.

"That is what they (fans) asked for. Number one, when you wear the shirt, they want the maximum; that blood and sweat that every club wants. Then, on top of that, it is all the things you want offensively.

"But number one, they want you to be 'killing yourself' out there and we did that. The players worked their socks off."