Darren Moore reveals bold Sheffield Wednesday selection plan that will interest Derby County and Peterborough United

The Owls are mathematically certain to finish in third place regardless of their result against the Rams, who arrive at Hillsborough with no such clarity, requiring a win to put play-off qualification beyond all doubt.

Indeed, Paul Warne’s side could finish anywhere from fifth to seventh depending on results elsewhere, with Peterborough United hopefully waiting in the wings to take their place in the top six should they win at Barnsley.

Certainty over league position will allow Wednesday boss Darren Moore the option of refreshing his squad ahead of the play-offs should he see fit, with an away trip first leg arriving five days later next Friday.

Derby fans hoping their former captain Moore will indirectly do them a favour by naming a weakened side look set for disappointment, however.

“We stay focused with it and we make sure we’re selecting the best team possible going in,” Moore told The Star.

“You want to keep the momentum and keep the focus going, for sure. There were elements of the game on Saturday that were comprehensive and rewarding, but there are elements we want to work on and solidify going into next week's game.

Wednesday chalked-up their third win on the spin over the weekend. The Owls boss admitted recent performances are short of where they want them to be, but that their last outing at Shrewsbury was a major step in the right direction and that momentum is building ahead of the post-season.

“That’s what you want and that’s what our focus has been, getting back into it [form],” Moore said. “We went to Bristol Rovers and gave a solid performance and then all of a sudden we start building on top of that. The second half against Exeter was better and then Shrewsbury was probably the most complete performance that we’ve had over 90 minutes for a while and that’s great, really.

“If ever you wanted that, you want it at this tight stage of the season.

“The signs are good and credit to the boys. The week’s work we did was solid, we worked on a lot of principles and we saw those come through.”

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