Buzz starting to grow again for Sheffield Wednesday's class of 2016

Owls' Fernando Forestieri celebrates his goal.

When Howard Wilkinson was in charge at Sheffield Wednesday in the early Eighties he took them to the top flight of English football.

The Owls even released a song, with the opening lines going something like… “Have you heard there’s a rumour, have you heard there’s a buzz, they’re talking about us….”

Well 30 years on and Carlos Carvalhal’s team are starting to be mentioned alongside Hull City and Middlesbrough as Championship promotion contenders.

Wednesday sit fifth after a comprehensive 4-0 win over Brentford on Saturday, have yet to be beaten in the league in 2016, and are the Championship’s top scorers.

Gary Hooper hits Wednesday's second goal

Throw in the fact that striker Gary Hooper has won Sky Sports’ goal of the week on back-to-back weekends - after following up his deadly strike against Birmingham City with another classy effort against the Bees - and people outside of S6 are starting to notice the Owls.

Over 5,000 Wednesday fans will head to Preston North End on Saturday as the Owls start counting down the games with 15 matches remaining.

One of the Owls’ key performers this season has been Argentinian striker Fernando Forestieri.

The £3m summer signing from Watford bagged his 12th goal of the season - his best goals tally of his career - to open the scoring against 10-man Brentford.

He headed home Daniel Pudil’s free-kick, but the 26-year-old knows there is plenty of hard graft needed if the Owls are to gatecrash the automatic promotion spots.

“Everyone is happy because we win and stay in the play-offs and now we focus on Preston,” he said.

“The team are working so hard and we will do that again next week and the most important thing is that we go there to play well and win the game.

“I want to say thank you to my team because they have helped me to get the goals.

“Now I have scored 12 and I hope for more but for me, it doesn’t matter who scores.

“Everyone is important, everyone is working hard for the team and that is the most important.

“Who scores the goals doesn’t matter, the important thing is the next game and that you get the three points.”

More goals from Forestieri and Hooper - who now has 10 to his name this season - and the Owls buzz will simply get louder and louder.