Sheffield Wednesday v Charlton: Gray aims his ‘team talk’ at Wednesday fans to fuel their passion

SHEFFIELD Wednesday head coach Stuart Gray wants to harness fans’ excitement about the prospect of a Steel City FA Cup quarter-final and unleash it at Hillsborough tonight.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Stuart Gray. Picture by Tony Johnson.Sheffield Wednesday manager Stuart Gray. Picture by Tony Johnson.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Stuart Gray. Picture by Tony Johnson.

Charlton Athletic are standing in the way of an all-Sheffield encounter at Bramall Lane, an enticing prospect which would guarantee a Sheffield club appearing at Wembley for the semi-finals.

The potential meeting is being billed as the biggest Sheffield derby since Wednesday beat United 2-1 in the FA Cup semi-final of 1993 at Wembley.

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Ever since the quarter-final draw was made, both sides of the city have been lusting after the tie, and Gray wants that passion to be on display at Hillsborough tonight – both on the pitch and in the stands.

After 3,700 supporters travelled to Huddersfield for Saturday’s 2-0 win, Gray hopes Wednesdayites will again turn out in numbers.

“I just want to thank the fans at Huddersfield – the support was fantastic – but we need all three sides (of Hillsborough) for us and maybe a bit more on Monday,” said the Owls’ head coach.

“I often ask the players to give the fans a lift.

“One thing we do know is the players are giving 100 per cent commitment and working hard, but we want to make it an unbelievable atmosphere for the Charlton game.

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“We want to be on the front foot – we’ll be in their faces and we’ll close them down. We’ll have a right good go at them.

“Really, I don’t need any team talk. My only team talk is to the supporters – come and make it an unbelievable atmosphere.

“Get the players going and we’ll run ourselves into the ground.

“The players have the chance to be part of Sheffield Wednesday history.”

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With Gray resting several players for the trip to Huddersfield, tonight’s line-up looks likely to be very different from the one which started at the John Smith’s Stadium.

Goalkeeper Damian Martinez has started in previous FA Cup rounds so could take over from Chris Kirkland as the Owls juggle their squad to cope with two games in three days.

Midfielder Giles Coke, centre-half Glenn Loovens and striker Leon Best were all substitutes on Saturday but could return, while Benik Afobe could feature after being left out due to Gray being only allowed under league rules to select five of his six loan players at one time.

Winger Michail Antonio left Huddersfield on crutches after picking up an ankle injury and is one of several concerns for Gray, who admitted Saturday’s team selection had “one eye” on tonight’s encounter.

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“It looks like he (Michail) has twisted his ankle,” confirmed Gray after the game. “It’s a bit early to say yet but he’ll be going back on the bus on crutches.

“We had a difficult game against Derby. It was high intensity. I also had to have one eye on Monday because I decided to rest a couple. It shows it is a squad game.

“The pleasing thing is the players who haven’t been getting regular football have shown what they can do. It’s nice to have that bit of strength in depth.”

That means there will be several unhappy Owls players today when Gray announces his line-up.

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“The whole dressing room wants to play,” said Owls midfielder Sam Hutchinson.

“But he (Gray) has six loan players, the lads already here, they all want to play – they know how big it is to get through.

“Obviously, we think about Charlton, but it could then be a massive derby and then Wembley.

“But Charlton is the key one and we need to focus on that.

“In the league, we had lost the last two (against Wigan and Derby), so it was important we got a win.

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“I thought we were unlucky to lose to Derby, I thought we should have beat them, and Huddersfield is a tough test in the Championship.

“It hasn’t been hard to focus on these games. Stuart and the other coaches drilled that in to us, the importance.

“(Tonight is) a huge game, and not just because it’s Sheffield United in the next round. It’s a massive thing for the club and city. We have to focus on Charlton, which will be very hard for us. All the lads are buzzing in the dressing room.

“With the injuries we have had – I have come in and seen how many people are injured, important players – Wednesday have done fantastically well to keep the run going. Long may it continue.”

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Having grown up at Chelsea, and watched from the periphery as they collected trophies and competed on the big stage, Hutchinson is hoping to sample a Steel City derby and Wembley in his time at Wednesday.

“It would be massive to go to Wembley,” the 24-year-old admitted. “I have sort of experienced it before, but always just on the edge, or not fit enough to be on the bench.”

Asked if he would consider dropping down to the Championship permanently in the search of regular football, Hutchinson said: “I wouldn’t rule out anything, to be honest.

“A lot of people are not wary of my ability, it’s about my fitness. I have already retired once, I don’t want to do that again.”

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On tonight’s tie, he added: “Everyone is excited. I just look at every game as a bonus. Every game is no different, it’s like a final to me. Wherever I play I am happy.

“I have to treat games like that because I don’t know how I am going to feel for the next game. I just manage myself, be sensible, and try to be as fit as possible.”