League the priority for Sheffield Wednesday - but Owls are out to win Walsall clash

Sheffield Wednesday boss Garry Monk admitted that any notion of a cup run this season comes secondary to their league ambitions, but said they want to use this afternoon’s Carabao Cup clash at Walsall to build a winning mentality.
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The Owls travel to the Midlands well aware of the threat the League Two side pose, with the Saddlers having been in pre-season training for much longer than the Owls’ whirlwind three-week effort.

Scheduling complications mean that the first four rounds of the Carabao Cup are scheduled for September, leading many clubs to consider the impct of an energy-sapping cup run.

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Asked of the side’s priorities heading into the cup clash, Monk made absolutely clear he sees clawing back their 12-point deduction as the immediate priority, though this weekend provides an important opportunity to get a winning mentality going.

SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 29: Garry Monk, manager of Sheffield Wednesday looks on ahead of the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff City at Hillsborough Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 29: Garry Monk, manager of Sheffield Wednesday looks on ahead of the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff City at Hillsborough Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 29: Garry Monk, manager of Sheffield Wednesday looks on ahead of the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff City at Hillsborough Stadium on December 29, 2019 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

“Let’s make no bones about it, the league is the most important thing for us this season, without a doubt,” he said.

“We have the Carabao Cup, it’s our first game and it’s a chance to set down a marker for ourselves. It’s going to be a difficult game and we know how ready they are, they’ve played a lot of pre-season games and they’ve been in training a lot longer.

“But we want to win, to start that winning mentality. It’s a game we won’t be taking lightly and what will be will be, whether that’s more rounds and all that comes with winning the games.

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“Of course we’ll assess at that point what the priority is, but the priority here is to win. It’s a game we want to win and if we can win this game and the next game comes then we’ll take it as it comes.

“But the league is the most important, especially this one, the most important that I can remember in the club’s history so we have to be ready for that. That’s our primary focus.

“Any game, whether it be a cup game or whatever, we have to go out there with the intention to win. That’s what our aim is.”

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