MATT Hamshaw has managed Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County - two big football clubs - for a combined total of three matches on an interim basis and each has ended in a draw.

Regarding the Owls and Rams, the similarities do not end there as far as Hamshaw is concerned.

The Yorkshireman knows a fair bit about the pitfalls facing a club with historical cachet in the third tier from his time in the East Midlands as first-team coach to Paul Warne.

Hamshaw - and someone else with former Owls connections in Richie Barker - have also been on the other side of the fence alongside Warne.

Sheffield Wednesday caretaker boss Matt Hamshaw, pictured on the touchline against Cambridge United. Picture: Steve Ellis

placeholder image — Sheffield Wednesday caretaker boss Matt Hamshaw, pictured on the touchline against Cambridge United. Picture: Steve Ellis

Their Rotherham United side showed a great predilection for turning over several big clubs at League One level during their successful stint with the Millers.

When the trio went to Derby in the autumn of 2022, it took time for the club to get to grips with the division. The Rams finished in seventh place in 2022-23 before being promoted on the final day of the following 2023-24 campaign. They had plenty of bumps along the way.

The correlations between both clubs also extend to the boardroom. Just as David Clowes took over a club relegated to League One in Derby - back in 2022 - so did Arise Capital Partners, led by David Storch, when their Owls takeover was completed in May.

Successful on-pitch chapters take time to write. More especially when you consider the state of both clubs beforehand.

Sheffield Wednesday scorer Mason Burstow celebrates his goal against Cambridge United with Davis Keillor-Dunn. Picture: Steve Ellis.

Hamshaw, speaking after the Owls' 1-1 draw with Cambridge United on Tuesday night, said: "It feels like there's a real collective group of people wanting to achieve amazing things for this football club. There's a good strategy.

"It reminds me a little bit of Derby when we first went in there, especially with the amount of change and new ownership. You could see what they wanted to build.

"It just takes a bit of time. I'm speaking personally, but in that first season at Derby, we didn't go up, which was frustrating.

"Then we went up in the second season. Look, I don't want that this season. We obviously want to be in the hunt. We want to be there or thereabouts and hopefully we can have that dream in May.

"But as I keep reiterating, it's going to take a bit of time and that's hard for some fans to hear. But I can assure everybody from what I've seen that the club's in amazing hands and it's going to progress really well in these coming years.

"It's difficult. I've been sat in the stands, and I've been a fan myself and you want instant success.

"We all know my (boyhood) affiliation with Rotherham. When we were at Derby, I was going to watch Rotherham and I turned into a fan and you forget sometimes in that technical area."

Wednesday dropped down to ninth place following a draw with a very capable Cambridge side, who showcased why they are the only remaining unbeaten League One team on the road in 2026-27, certainly in the first 20 minutes and the final quarter.

Their goals-for record in the second half of games - now up to 18 - is also highly impressive. The U's are second behind Stockport County in the division's second-half table.

The Owls' current problem is chiefly in the first half of games.

After a slow start, they eventually found their feet on Tuesday. It was still not overly convincing - although it was nowhere near as damning as the recent performances before the interval at Doncaster Rovers, Notts County and Huddersfield Town.

Fortunately, Wednesday - cajoled by a few choice words from Hamshaw - upped the urgency, intensity and conviction levels in the second period, buoyed by a fine early strike from Mason Burstow.

A magnificent reaction save from U's keeper and boyhood Wednesdayite Jake Eastwood to somehow deny Burstow midway through the second period proved the turning point.

Cambridge went up the other end and levelled clinically through Sullay Kaikai, who cashed in on loose play from Billy Mitchell.

For Wednesday, given the fan power behind them, harnessing some early momentum would be in their best interests going forward, whoever is in charge. Hopefully starting against Blackpool on Sunday.

"I got into them slightly (at half-time), Hamshaw continued.

"I was frustrated with the first half. The first 15 minutes, I was angry in all honesty, because I just felt we missed an opportunity to really get on the front foot and get these fans behind us. I don't know what that is…

"I just felt our ball speed was too slow. It's a home fixture at Hillsborough against Cambridge United, and we have to be 'front foot'. And then in the second half, we had a go."

Entertaining for sure; definitely better than the first period for those among another remarkable 30,000 crowd.