Sheffield Wednesday’s fighting qualities give Garry Monk reasons to be cheerful

Wednesday night at Hillsborough could easily have been another. Ivan Toney went into the game with five goals in three matches and was on a hat-trick within half an hour. With his movement, and the passing of Mathias Jensen and Saman Ghoddos, an under-protected back three looked vulnerable whenever Brentford ran at them.

Callum Paterson’s first Owls goal in between Toney’s took another 5-0 off the table, but 5-1 could not be ruled out.

This Sheffield Wednesday team has far more steel about it, however.

“This is a different season, a different group, a different mentality, a fresh start,” said Garry Monk at full-time. “We’re trying to work in a different way, with a different spirit about us.

“This season there’s not been a single game where we’ve given up. You can see we’re fighting and that side of it has put us in really good stead.”

“Only” losing 2-1 can hardly be cause for celebration – not when you start a season on minus 12 points – but the determination of Monk’s side was a refreshing contrast to the fragility of the second half of last season. After an understandably sluggish start having lost Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma, the Bees are starting to buzz again.

Monk stiffened his midfield, bringing on Joey Pelupessy for Alex Hunt at half-time, and going from 3-4-1-2 to 3-5-1-1 with Fisayo Dele-Bashiru introduced six minutes later. It made for a less entertaining second half, but the Owls cannot be too picky about how they stay in the Championship, they just have to.

Monk admitted his side lacked the quality – of mind as much as feet – at times to take advantage of their more solid foundations but after the second half of last season when collectively talented players with contracts running down appeared to lack the stomach for the fight, this is a better way around.

“We can see what we need to work on, it’s just the other part of it,” reflected Monk. “In the second half we were just lacking a little bit of composure but that’s not something you can kill them for, it’s part of a football season that every team will have those games and those moments in games but overall they’re doing very well and we’ll stick together.”

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Thank you, James Mitchinson. Editor.