Sheffield Wednesday’s Dennis Adeniran is confident of League One success

Dropping from the Championship into League One can be hard for clubs with big reputations. Both previous times it has happened to Wednesday since they were last in the Premier League returning to the second-tier has been a two-season operation.

With Ipswich Town and Wigan Athletic in particular flexing their muscles in the summer transfer market, Bolton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic, Portsmouth and Sunderland having also finished in the top half of the Premier League in not-so-distant memory, and Lincoln City, Oxford United, Wycombe Wanderers and Rotherham United having good League One pedigrees in recent seasons, it looks a hugely competitive division and Darren Moore’s squad is still being put together, as yesterday’s arrival of Theo Corbeanu and departure of Julian Borner underscored.

But Adeniran says he left Everton’s youth set-up to put himself under pressure, and is not shy on heaping it on his team.

“I think we’ll do very well this season,” he said after his debut against Huddersfield Town in the League Cup on Sunday. “The cup game was good preparation for the league game so I feel it should give us a really good opportunity to stamp our authority on the league by beating Charlton (in Saturday evening’s opening game of the new League One season).

“Promotion is the aim, to be No 1 in our league.

“I’d say to the fans keep believing in us and just be ready because we’ll definitely get promoted... or I feel we’ll get promoted.”

Caught in possession in the early stages to set off a move which ended with a Bailey Peacock-Farrell save, by his own admission Adeniran’s first appearance in blue-and-white stripes was not perfect, but he performed well as half of the “double pivot” behind Lewis Wing in a 4-2-3-1 formation.

“In the first 20 minutes I was a bit sluggish, slow, but I started to grow into the game and show what I’m about,” he commented.

“Wingy, Baz (Bannan) and me were playing with each other for the first time and I thought we were all right together. We’re all good players and we’ll bond with each other straight away.

“When we got it clicking I felt it was much easier for us because we were just bouncing off each other. We know where each other’s going to be and how we like the ball. It was a privilege to play with them because they’re fantastic players and I think they could bring the best out of me and vice-versa.”

Although Wednesday ultimately went out 4-2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw, Adeniran described playing in front of 12,060 fans as “fantastic” and was pleased at how welcoming the supporters and his new team-mates have been.

“The fans were very warming to me, they got behind me,” said one of only two Owls players to score his penalty in front of the away end, who was happy to play up to the fans there when he did.

“It gives you a little adrenaline buzz when you hear them cheering a challenge or things like that. You don’t really think about it hurting, you just keep going because it’s a great feeling.

“There’s a good bunch of boys here who made it pretty easy for me to settle in. They all welcomed me and supported me. If I’ve got questions to ask the experienced lads give me feedback.

In the last three months, Corbeanu has made his Premier League debut and scored at the Gold Cup, so for Moore to sign the 19-year-old Canada winger on a season-long loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers looks another good bit of business.

A regular in the Football League Trophy side last season, playing at Bradford City and Doncaster Rovers, he made his Premier League debut at Tottenham Hotspur in May.

Corbeanu scored on his international debut in March’s World Cup qualifier against Bermuda, finding the net four minutes after coming off the bench. He also scored at the Gold Cup, where Canada reached the semi-finals.

Moore is very cagey about his transfer business but there is more to come with the signing of winger Marvin Johnson, released by Middlesbrough, expected despite Hull City interest.

Borner completed his protracted move to Hannover with a sentimental message to supporters.

“It’s a great pity that the journey ends at this point, but I still enjoyed it and I still get goosebumps when I think of you singing my name”, wrote Borner, who leaves for a fee of around £120,000.