BRIAN Laws is impatient for the season to start - and he believes that his players feel the same way.
The reason is that sound performances and mostly good results in pre-season have nurtured a feeling of well-being and a desire for the real action to start.
The Wednesday manager admits that this mood is an improvement on a year ago when a less rewarding pre-season dented the squad's morale.
"There's no question that morale is better than a year ago," said Laws.
"Things have gone really well.
"But you can only really judge once the league games start.
"I'm sure that if we get a good start to the season, then we'll be more confident than ever.
"I'd like to have started playing a couple of weeks ago. After four weeks, you've had enough of friendlies and want to get into the real stuff.
"The players are bored with friendlies - they want the League games to come.
"There's a good feeling in the camp. I'm really pleased with that."
Wednesday also had some good pre-season results last year but in their final three friendlies they lost 3-0 at Port Vale, 2-0 at Oldham and 2-0 at home to Birmingham, and a shortage of goals was to be come a key factor in their Championship campaign.
This time they have won 2-0 and 3-0 in tour games in Holland, 4-1 at MK Dons and 2-0 at Bury.
A 1-0 defeat at Chesterfield came after the Owls did some tough training on the afternoon before the game, and they bounced back to give a lively performance against Wigan last Saturday, getting beaten 3-2 by the Premier League side only via an injury-time goal.
Laws knows full well that pre-season form counts for nothing if a team start the League season badly.
But it is a good sign that the Owls have been scoring goals, with a rejuvenated Deon Burton leading the way.
Burton, who finished last season strongly, has hit five goals in pre-season and was in scoring form for Jamaica before that. He looks set for a place in Saturday's opener against Burnley and is intensifying the competition for places involving him, Akpo Sodje, Francis Jeffers, Marcus Tudgay and Leon Clarke.
What do you think? Post your comments below. READ MORESheffield Wednesday: Preview for the season, including ins and outs and squad numbers. Don't miss Saturday's Green'Un newspaperWednesdayite's landslide voteOwls fan group prove pointFootball headlinesMore BladesMore OwlsMore SpireitesMore RoversMore RedsMore MillersMore Ice HockeyMore rugby leagueMore rugby unionMore boxingSports columnistsAll sport categoriesThe full article contains 456 words and appears in Sheffield Star newspaper.
