Michael Smith urges Sheffield Wednesday fans on – ‘I don’t think they realise…’

The volume inside Hillsborough increased dramatically when George Byers pulled a goal back after the Owls had found themselves 2-0 down to Ipswich Town, and the roof really came off when Smith popped up in the box to level things up.

Having scored his first goal in front of the Kop, the Wednesday striker says that supporters should know how much they play their part.

"I don't think the fans realise how much it actually helps,” he said afterwards. “It is that cliché of the 12th man, but it takes something like that from us to get them going. Once we provided that spark they were unbelievable with the backing they gave us – and I think another ten minutes and we would have nicked it.”

It’s not been the easiest start to life at Hillsborough for the experienced forward as he spent time coming back from injury, but he’s now got three goals in his last four matches and is very much finding his feet.

And he’s looking to keep that going, saying, "I always back myself to score goals, especially in League One. It was just a case of getting myself fit and involved in the team, training well and hopefully getting the shirt on a Saturday. Hopefully I've been able to do that so hopefully it can continue.

"I want to keep my fitness, keep my sharpness. If you don't perform on a Saturday the next man's going to step up and take your place so it's all about consistency and keeping fit.”

And the service available from the rest of the squad can certainly help him in his hunt for goals…

"It was one of the main reasons I signed here,” he explained. “The quality of the lads who were here and with the calibre of player the manager's brought in we're always going to create chances so it's just about being alert and in the right place at the right time and getting on the end of them.”

It remains to be seen whether the 30-year-old will feature this evening against Burton Albion, but if it was up to him he’d probably love to try and keep his run going.

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