Sheffield Wednesday at last get it right on the night as O’Grady adopts selfish approach to aid team

The Owls had lost all four of their previous fixtures on Tuesdays and still have another five to play before the end of the season.

O’Grady thinks the removal of that psychological barrier will be yet another positive as the Owls push for a top-two spot in League One.

Over the last six months, Tuesday matches have brought misery for the club against Bury, Bradford City, Stevenage and Carlisle United.

Victory at Scunthorpe, however, lifted the Owls back on level terms with Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town and Sheffield United – seven points behind leaders Charlton Athletic.

O’Grady, who scored two of the goals in a 3-1 win at Glanford Park including the opener after just 44 seconds, said: “We have generally not performed in Tuesday night games this season so that was the challenge.

“We needed to learn from previous Tuesdays where we had not peformed. It could be the change in conditions, how you prepare in the daytime, that makes the difference.

“In an afternoon game, for example, you are awake for less time. For a night game there is a lot more waiting around. It’s finding out what works for you and being mentally focused.

“We have done well against Scunthorpe and hopefully we can carry it on into next Tuesday (against MK Dons) and the rest of the season.”

The Owls’ other remaining Tuesday night fixtures are against Stevenage, Bury, Walsall and Oldham Athletic.

O’Grady scored inside the first minute against Scunthorpe before taking his tally for the season to six later in the first half.

The former Rochdale striker agreed that it was possibly his best performance since joining the Owls early in the season and now wants to score on a more regular basis.

“It shows that the hard work is paying off,” he said. “I’m happy with my performances but I do want to add more goals.

“I’m not really a selfish type of player but I’m learning that, as a striker, you have to be like that sometimes.

“I’ve been told to focus more on being in the right areas and shooting more which is what I have done. I’m doing more ‘striker’ things rather than doing things out of position like dropping back into midfield and working hard.”

After picking up just one point in the previous two games against Hartlepool United and Charlton, it was vitally important for the Owls to win against Scunthorpe what was a game in hand.

“It’s a bit depressing when you are not winning and that’s been the general theme of this month,” he reflected. “We have been winning games in the last 10 minutes then throwing points away. On Tuesday, it was nice to start well and win convincingly

“We have not had a good month by our standards but yet we are still in touch with second. When we do get back on course, we should be okay in what we want to achieve.”

The Owls are awaiting news on the fitness of defender Daniel Jones, who was stretchered off with a calf injury.

Defender Reda Johnson missed the game with a back injury, captain Rob Jones was ruled out by an ankle problem and Lewis Buxton did not risk a thigh strain.

Megson’s options are down to the bare bones for Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie at Blackpool but Mark Beevers returned to the spotlight as a substitute after a spell on loan at Milton Keynes Dons.

Defender Julian Bennett is nursing a shoulder complaint and will struggle to be fit for this weekend.