Michael Smith reveals Sheffield Wednesday FA Cup draw hopes – says ‘winning breeds winning’

The Owls striker grabbed both goals for the Owls on Saturday afternoon to give them a 2-1 win over Mansfield Town in the FA Cup, with Johnson grabbing both assists to complete the turnaround at Hillsborough.

Smith was a super sub for Darren Moore and was described as a ‘game-changer’ by his boss after the game – he insists that he’s got full faith in himself to get on the scoresheet whenever he’s called upon.

“I back myself to score whenever I’m on a football pitch,” he told The Star. “So I was delighted to see the ball come across the six-yard box – as a striker your eyes light up. I haven’t found myself in those positions in the last few weeks, so I need to be consistent now and find myself there more regularly…

“Winning breeds winning, we’ve got that mentality in the changing room - we want to win every game that we go into. It doesn’t matter the competition… Whether it’s a five-a-side in training or here at Hillsborough, so we’re looking forward to Derby County on Saturday now.”

Smith, who’s a fan of the FA Cup, also admitted that he does have a preference for the next round – and it won’t come as much of a surprise.

“The draw is on Monday, hopefully we can get somebody good in there,” he said. “Personally I’d like Newcastle away, but I’ll take someone in the Premier League away - that’d be nice.

“I remember watching it as a kid with my dad, the finals at the old Wembley and Cardiff - I love the FA Cup.”

The so-called ‘big guns’ all enter the tournament in the third round after Wednesday saw off Morecambe and Mansfield, with the draw taking place at 7pm this evening.

Smith has now scored seven goals for the Owls since his summer move from Rotherham United, and will be hoping to add to that to that tally on Saturday if given the chance at Pride Park.

MORE: Wednesday’s ‘game changer’ Michael Smith praised after match-winning display