Darren Moore sees his Sheffield Wednesday work come to fruition on happy anniversary

The Owls beat Burton Albion 5-2 to move up to fifth in League One.

"The guys at the club told me and when you look at the year it seems so much has gone on and we keep working," said Moore, who joined from Doncaster Rovers last March. "It was nice to get the three points.

"It seems like it's gone quickly but so much has happened. There's so much more work to do. It's been an exciting year.

"We're heading in the right direction but we've probably not turned a corner. There's a still more work to be done.

"Some of the work we did earlier in the season is coming through. I've seen things in certain players that just weren't there at the start of the season. That's testament to the players putting the work in.

"Players showed their versatility and we rotated the pack up front to freshen it up a bit.

"What pleased me most about it was the boys kept their composure, kept moving the ball, and I always felt there were one or two more chances there. I'm pleased we got the players in the positions to capitalise. It was a comprehensive win but Burton were plucky at times, they stuck to their guns and got the ball in our final third, they didn't allow us much time and space.

"I was really pleased mentally with where the boys are at and physically with where they're at. They're in a good space.

"We've just got to keep going, keep working and keep applying ourselves in the right manner because there are much, much more hurdles ahead."

The Owls have now won eight of their last 10 matches, and in a slow burner of a season they are starting to look like serious promotion candidates.

"It was about reaching for the top six and now we've got to solidify it," commented Moore. "The hard work starts now to stay there and maintain that level of performance. That's the challenge for us.

"There are things out there from certain individuals tonight that before they weren't doing that. Mentally and physically they're in a good place and results like that and a team performance like that with the changes we've made go a long way.

"Now we try to keep this momentum going."

Rather than risk Byers, Moore surprisingly fielded Jack Hunt in the centre of midfield.

“On Saturday he picked up a slight strain," said Moore. "It was possible for him to play tonight, but I didn’t want to risk him.

“I expect him back in training in the next 24-48 hours, and hopefully he’ll be okay.

“I thought Jack Hunt could play in there, we’ve done it in in-house matches over the month where we’ve used him in midfield, and I thank him for his versatility.”