Sheffield Wednesday v Stoke City: Josh Windass hoping good week brings best out of 'difficult' Hillsborough
The Owls' home form was a big factor in the miraculous escape from Championship relegation Danny Rohl masterminded last season, but this term their best performances have come on their travels. Wednesday are 20th in the division for the number of points won on their own territory.
Flat performances have sometimes led to flat atmospheres but Rohl being in the dugout for the early kick-off against Stoke City on Saturday after a week which saw him heavily linked with a return to Premier League Southampton could change that.
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Hide AdA banging atmosphere is sometimes hard to create with an early kick-off but the news that Ivan Juric, not former assistant manager Rohl, is set to replace Russell Martin at St Mary's might just do it, and it could set the team up for a very merry Christmas. Beat a Stoke team five points above the relegation zone and an Owls side currently five off the play-offs end the year with two away games, their strong suit right now.
Always one to speak his mind, Windass did not hold back on the difficulties he has felt at Hillsborough in the first half of 2024-25.
"This season we seem to get booed off at half-time quite a lot," he says. “Even when we're playing well the ground seems to be a bit edgy for some reason.
"Every time we're not doing very well they seem to be there for us and cheering. Last season they were there for us, the best I've ever seen. Peterborough, we were 4-0 down and it was the best I've ever seen them.
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Hide Ad"Now when we're 0-0, playing quite well it's sometimes quite difficult."


When the old ground is in the mood, it can be a very difficult place for opponents.
"I'm not going to blame the fans for the reason we're not doing well at home, that's on us,” stresses Windass. “We've got to get results, play the same as we're playing away, and we'll be looking to do that this weekend
"When we're playing well at home opposition players do get intimidated when the crowd are fully on form.
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Hide Ad"I don't think we score as many goals at home as we do away so we need to start putting the ball in the back of the net. We really need to make it a fortress but if we make our home form like our away form we'll definitely be in the top six.


"That's what we need to change and chance it rather quickly."
Wednesday have actually scored two more goals (14) at home than away this season, but it is probably fair to say they have been more clinical on their travels, certainly in recent weeks.
"I think sometimes when we miss chances at home the crowd is a bit off as if players can't miss chances," says Windass.
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Hide Ad"I think if we're not creating any chances I'd understand but at the end of the day we're a team who finished nearly bottom of the league last season and we're going to miss chances. I see Darwin Nunez and Erling Haaland miss easy chances most weeks and you don't really see the backlash against them but at Hillsborough it seems like a crime to miss a chance. As long as we keep creating chances we'll be all good."


And if the atmosphere is rocking as the players coming out of the tunnel, it would help not to burst it by conceding the first goal of the game – something they have done a lot this season, even if they have got good at winning points regardless.
"We said before the Oxford game can we please not go a goal down this week?" says Windass of the come-from-behind 3-1 win.
"It's hard mentally to really turn it around but we did it again. Hopefully this week we can score first because although we keep coming from behind there's going to be a time when you can't so we need to start scoring first and be more solid at the back. We're conceding far too many goals so if we can keep scoring the amount we're scoring and shut the back door a little bit we'll be fine."
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Hide AdFor Rohl, after turning down the chance to be part of a Premier League relegation battle to try to push for a shot at top-division football in May's Championship play-offs, it is all about the long game.
"The home games are sometimes a different challenge to away games (with Wednesday's growing reputation causing visiting teams to be more cautious when visiting them)," he argues. "If we can keep our good away performance and add a better performance, you can count what is possible.
"A good start is always helpful, it gives you self-confidence as a group but what we have to understand – not just my players, also the crowd – the important thing is that we win the game after 90 minutes.
"A good start in this league is not a guarantee that you win games. Especially in the first half it's sometimes about game management, you have to look at what is possible, where are the spaces and how the opponents attack us, then you make better decisions.
"And if you have the chance to give the stadium an immediate signal that we are there, it will hopefully be a great atmosphere."
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