Defeats hurt Irvine but fail to puncture his belief that Sheffield Wednesday can beat the drop

When Irvine joined the Owls, three months ago, he had been out of work for just 10 days following his shock sacking by Preston North End.

The Owls were four points adrift of safety at that stage and are still in the relegation zone with only more four games to play.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow's trip to Middlesbrough, Irvine insisted that it had been the right move and that he remained fully-committed to the challenge of reviving the club's fortunes.

"I am not surprised that we still have an awful lot to do to get out of this position – I knew the enormity of the task when I arrived," he said. "But I have no regrets at all.

"I take time to make decisions about jobs and I never look back. This was a great opportunity for me albeit in very difficult circumstances."

Irvine made an instant impact at Hillsborough, winning four of his first five games to lift the Owls five points clear of danger.

Monday's home defeat by Bristol City, however, plunged the club back into the bottom three – albeit on goal difference – after a haul of just 11 points from the previous 12 games.

"There is a misconception that losing games doesn't hurt players or managers but, believe me, it does," he said. "I woke up at 3am after the Bristol City game and I was wide awake.

"The reality of our situation is in everyone's mind but I still believe that, if we win two of our remaining games, we have a really good chance of staying in this division.

"All along, we have needed to win one in every two games – a tough target – and we certainly have to do that, maybe more, now.

"We have dropped points lately that we shouldn't have done and we cannot afford to lose any more games when we are the better team."

Irvine had been in football management just five months when he steered Preston to Championship survival two seasons ago.

Asked to draw comparisons with his current job, Irvine said: "It is proving to be a tougher job. We survived at Preston with four games to go. It was the same equation, we had to win one game in two. I know we have not done that yet here but we can still do it."

Looking ahead to the summer, Irvine said: "I am desperate for a good pre-season. I have put all my efforts, energy, and attention into this battle and I will continue to do that until we know where we are. But I already know what I will be doing pre-season regardless of what division we are in."

With a contract until summer 2013, Irvine's future at Hillsborough is safe regardless of whether the club are relegated. Chairman Lee Strafford also regards the 51-year-old as one of the best managers outside the Premier League.

The Owls will be boosted by the return of winger Jermaine Johnson for tomorrow's game at the Riverside Stadium.

Jamaican international Johnson has struggled with a hamstring injury this season and missed Monday's game against Bristol after yet another setback.

Defender Lewis Buxton (hamstring) missed training yesterday but will be assessed today before Irvine finalises his squad for the weekend.

Opponents Middlesbrough are still chasing the remote possibility of play-off qualification but are six points adrift of the top six.

Manager Gordon Strachan was also forced to omit midfielder Gary O'Neil from Monday's win over Plymouth Argyle as one more appearance will trigger an additional 1m payment to his former club Portsmouth.