Sheffield Wednesday: Goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith reveals the secret to success in the Championship

Goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith has stressed the importance of strength in depth in Wednesday's attempts to end their 18-year top-flight exile.

With Swansea City, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion dropping down from the Premier League, Wildsmith expects the second-tier to be strong and fiercely-competitive next season.

He told The Star: “There are some decent Premier League teams coming down so it’s going to be a good challenge for us testing ourselves against them.

“The Championship is so unpredictable. It’s a very tough division. It really is non-stop. You obviously get your international break, but it’s hectic.

“By the time you get to April it’s crazy and I think it can catch up on some players.

“That’s when you usually see more players picking up little knocks, so that’s why you need a strong squad full of good players.”

Despite a positive end to the 2017/18 campaign, Wednesday finished in 15th spot, 18 points adrift of the play-off placings.

Nonetheless, Wildsmith, who came through the ranks at Hillsborough, is convinced the Owls possess the attacking firepower to figure heavily in the promotion race.

The 22-year-old said: “We’ve got game-changers in the team. [Fernando] Forestieri is a special player. On his day he can run anyone into the ground. It’s just the way he is.

“But we need all those [special] players to be on it every game. We need that consistency to do a real promotion push. It’s got to be consistent over the year.

“We need to get good fitness around us and find that consistency for the season.”