Sheffield Wednesday: Garry Monk praises fringe players as he looks ahead to fixture pile-up

That's according to Garry Monk, who said he was impressed by the performances of some of his lesser-used players as he made eight changes to the side that went out of the Carabao Cup to Everton last night.

The defeat was the manager’s first in a Wednesday dugout and saw the Championship side give as good as they got, save for a whirlwind first ten minutes after which they found themselves 2-0 down.

Monk, who won the Carabao Cup as a Swansea player in 2013, admitted strong performances from the likes of Jordan Thorniley have given him food for thought going forward.

“It’s not easy,” he said. “I thought Jordan was steady and Dom [Iorfa] next to him was colossal tonight, I thought he was very, very good.

“I thought the two midfielders Massimo [Luongo] and Joe [Pelupessy] - I was very impressed - I thought they were very, very good and throughout the team.

“For those guys having their first full games on the pitch, I thought they took on the pitch what we wanted to do, did it with the right commitment and mentality.”

Monk has spoken previously about the depth in the squad and that he will need to use many of the players that haven’t featured a great deal in the opening stages of the season.

Wednesday are facing a congested fixture schedule ahead of the international break. After Saturday’s trip to Middlesbrough comes a visit to Hull and the welcoming of Wigan the following Saturday.

Asked how much he’ll find out about his players with a gruelling fixture pile-up ahead, he said: “I didn’t make changes just for the sake of making changes.

“There were decisions with lads that perhaps needed a rest and then there were lads that I needed to see.

“As much as you know them because I’ve played against them and managed teams against them, you still need to see if what you’re training with them, they can take it onto the pitch and deliver it.

“I was pleased with a lot of the performance.”