Megson: We’ll start to focus on game some have focused on for three weeks

The Owls are currently second in the League One table with eight wins from 12 games and five points clear of Sheffield United, who dropped out of the play-off zone last weekend.

Megson has been delighted with his team’s results so far and highlights the ‘character’ in his whole squad as a major reason for the fine start.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s game with the Blades at Bramall Lane, Megson said: “We are stretched a little bit at the moment but there is great character around the place and not just within the team.

“It’s been a good start to the season, we have won six out of six at Hillsborough, and four out of the last four. But we now have to concentrate on a game that others have been concentrating on for about three weeks.”

The Owls and the Blades have not met in the third tier of English football for 31 years and Sunday’s game will be the first between the clubs since April 2010.

Megson, who was born in Sheffield and grew up supporting the Owls, said: “Our next game is a huge game but we can go into it in good heart.”

Asked whether he would enjoy the coming days leading up to the fixture, he said: “I enjoy derbies but I don’t enjoy all the circus that follows it. When I was a player, I remember (former Owls manager) Howard Wilkinson talking about ‘enjoying games’ and I said I found it a strange thing to try to do. Enjoyment comes from winning games. Enjoyment in terms of build-up is not really my job – that is for the media.”

The Owls warmed up for the Sheffield derby with a 3-1 victory over another of their local rivals Chesterfield last weekend.

With Huddersfield Town and Scunthorpe United also in League One this season, it means there are a total of eight local derbies for the Owls to contend with during the campaign.

Megson admits to having mixed emotions about the situation, saying: “If you don’t want to be involved in games like that, you are certainly at the wrong club and probably in the wrong business.

“But it will be harder for any of the teams in Yorkshire and the surrounding areas to have a good season because of it.

“I know it’s a cliche but form goes out of the window in derby games. We are playing an awful lot of derby games this season and that takes some dealing with.”

The Owls were without eight senior players against Chesterfield but should have two, possibly three, back for the trip to Bramall Lane.

Defender Reda Johnson is due to return from international duty with Benin while utility player Liam Palmer was in the Scotland Under-21 squad for last night’s game against Austria.

Striker Ryan Lowe’s fitness will be assessed tomorrow after he was given five days off to rest a troublesome ankle.

However, goalkeeper Nicky Weaver, midfielder David Prutton, defender Jon Otsemebor and winger Daniel Jones will again be ruled out by injury. Striker Clinton Morrison is on loan at Milton Keynes Dons.

Striker Chris O’Grady, meanwhile, is still short of full match fitness but completed his first 90 minutes for the Owls against Chesterfield.

O’Grady, who cost around £350,000 from Rochdale in August, had been hampered by a foot injury after his arrival but Megson believes it will not be too long before he is back on top of his game.

“It was his first start since the end of April and he will get sharper,” said Megson. “He looked strong but at times he was also getting hold of the ball and trying to play a little too safe. He has got to try to play with a little more abandon.”

Megson pointed to the improvement in striker Gary Madine’s game as an ideal example for O’Grady to follow.

Madine scored his 10th goal of the season against Chesterfield and is currently the leading marksman in League One.

“Gary looks an entirely different person,” said Megson. “After two games, I doubt whether he would have got that ball out of his feet to score from that position.

“But his confidence is quite rightly flowing now, he thinks he’s going to score every time he gets the ball, and we need all our players playing like that.”