Brighton boss Graham Potter wary of Sheffield Wednesday threat despite poor form

Sheffield Wednesday may have lost three Championship matches on the bounce, but Brighton and Hove Albion head coach Graham Potter is not expecting an easy ride from the Owls on Saturday.
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Albion sit in 14th place - just four points above the Premier League drop zone - but have won admirers this season for their expansive style under Potter, who joined the club in the summer after a solitary season with Swansea City.

They go into tomorrow’s FA Cup 3rd Round clash with Wednesday on the back of a battling 1-1 draw with Chelsea on New Year’s Day and a 2-0 win over Bournemouth last Saturday.

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But despite picking up four points out of a possible six coupled with Garry Monk’s side enduring the Christmas blues, Potter refuses to take Wednesday lightly.

Graham Potter, Brighton and Hove Albion head coach. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)Graham Potter, Brighton and Hove Albion head coach. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
Graham Potter, Brighton and Hove Albion head coach. (Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

“You have to have that dream and belief. We’d like to go as far as last year and maybe improve, but you don’t get there by looking too far ahead,” said Potter, referring to Albion’s run to the semi-finals last season.

“We will focus on Saturday’s match against Sheffield Wednesday, which is going to be a hard one for us.”

And the 44-year-old former Stoke City midfielder has a high regard for Monk, who was an apprentice when Potter played for Southampton in the mid-90s.

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“I know Garry well and his teams are always hard to play against,” said Potter. “They are always clear on how they play and they have got some good players.

“They have had a couple of bad results recently, but they are having a good season.”