Everyone is playing for their future in the side against QPR, says Sheffield Wednesday skipper Tom Lees

Sheffield Wednesday players must show they are up for the fight of keeping their place in the team in tonight’s FA Cup fourth round clash at Queens Park Rangers, according to skipper Tom Lees.
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The Owls are smarting from a 5-0 home defeat at the hands of Blackburn Rovers and Lees, who made his 200th senior appearance for the club in the match, believes the result wiped the slate clean in terms of who has precedence in selection.

Several of the squad’s fringe players took their opportunity to impress in the last cup outing at Brighton and Lees expects the same again in the capital.

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“After a game like that, everybody’s feeling like they should be playing the next game,” he said.

“It’s up for grabs. It freshens it up and each position is a battle again. It’s up to each individual to go out and take it now.

“It’ll be a tough game. But for us, it’s more of a game where everybody is going out with something to prove and hoping to get themselves into that team for the league game.”

The QPR clash comes just four days ahead of an important trip to Wigan Athletic, with Wednesday hoping to improve a horror record of four defeats in their last five league matches.

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But asked whether the pressure is off for the cup tie, Lees said: “If you look at the last cup game, when the team changed a bit, you might think that. But after what happened last weekend I’d say no.

Owls skipper Tom Lees has delivered some choice words following their 5-0 defeat to Blackburn.Owls skipper Tom Lees has delivered some choice words following their 5-0 defeat to Blackburn.
Owls skipper Tom Lees has delivered some choice words following their 5-0 defeat to Blackburn.

“This game has become really important now and all the spots are up for grabs. People have to make sure that for the next league game they are starting.

“We’ve gone through a period now where we’ve not had many wins, but every team in the division will have that at some point.

“We can’t think we’ve got a divine right to get into the play-offs, we’re only as good as we have been over the past couple of seasons when we’ve not got into the play-offs.We’ve got to go and prove where we are.”