“Do you want the ball when you're one-nil down, or when you’re two-nil down?”

Changing Sheffield Wednesday’s mindset at Hillsborough might be one area for new Owls boss Dave Challinor to look at.

In difficult circumstances last season, The Owls managed only one home win, which came on the last day against West Brom, narrowly avoiding another unwanted record. Although they have lost only once at S6 in the league so far this term, they have won only twice, giving them the ninth-best home record in the division.

They have hammered Bromley and AFC Wimbledon but been held to frustrating draws four times, including two in the last week. Whereas last season it was about containing the opposition, Matt Hamshaw, who has overseen the last two matches as interim boss following Henrik Pedersen’s sacking, says they must remember that is in the past now.

When asked if he thinks it will be hard flip that mindset, he told The Star before Challinor’s appointment: “I don't think so now. I think we're long enough into it. I think we've got 18 new players signed. I'm only two months into my stint at this football club, so I'm still learning things and as we move along the way, but I just think like what there's no better place to play with 30,000 fans there. I don't buy into that side of conversation around people finding it hard when they come to Sheffield Wednesday because of the crowd.

“I don't think anything's holding us back as such. I just think we have to probably be a bit more on the front-foot and go out there and just play with a bit more intensity. I think I made a quote after the last game about last year, kind of bit of a carryover, so setting up to be on the front-foot rather than being on the back-foot, which is kind of understandable with the situation the club was in last year, so it's that mindset. But then at the same time, if you look at the Bromley game, you look at the Wimbledon game, we have done it. When we don't do it, it feels like we've missed an opportunity to really imprint our mark. And I think that's the thing that we got to get better. That has to be a mindset, and I think that's an important thing that I think the club have probably looked at and got miles better at in terms of big players performing at big times in big games. And I think that's what this group is well capable of.”

Hamshaw came through the ranks at Wednesday and won promotion with the club in 2005. He has experienced what it is like to play in front of big crowds. In his view, ‘bravery’ plays a pivotal part.

“I can only speak personally from when I was a player, but I didn't really hear the noise,” he added. “I just heard the game and teammates. You just get your head down and do your job. But then you've got players who I played with who embraced it, who wanted to get on the ball, no matter what area. That's the bit I look at when you talk about people being brave. I don't really look at headers and tackles. Do you want the ball when you're one-nil down, or when you’re two-nil down? We've seen signs that it is there, and it's down to us as a group of players, as a group of staff, again to give the fans something. But then the fans have to play their part, like as they have done already this season. I think they just want to come and see the team excite them, and that comes with wins, and then you get wins, you get confidence, and then before you know it, nobody wants to come to Hillsborough. I think that's what we have to get.”