Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk on unkind fixture schedule after 0-0 draw with Huddersfield

Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk admitted that the Championship fixture schedule has not been kind to his side since the restart after their goalless draw with relegation-threatened Huddersfield Town.
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The Owls have had less recovery time between matches than a number of their opponents in the whirlwind eight matches back from the suspension of football and are battling with a smaller squad than the vast majority.

And while Monk refused to make that an excuse on a frustrating night at Hillsborough, he admitted it was making a big difference to their efforts late on in games.

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“It’s a big ask for these players,” he said. “We’re playing games that have all got an extra day on us in terms of recovery. Huddersfield had an extra day on us, West Brom had two days on us.

Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk. Photo: Steve Ellis.Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk. Photo: Steve Ellis.
Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk. Photo: Steve Ellis.

“It makes a big difference in this period and we looked tired.”

The 0-0 draw takes them 11 points clear of the drop zone with two matches left to play but with the threat of a potential points deduction hanging over them, the Owls boss admitted the side are still counting up the points tally as they go.

“Every point is crucial,” he said. “Obviously we wanted the three points, it was a difficult game and they came with a really solid shape and made sure they were hard to break down.

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“It was a tight game, a tough game and physically the teams we’re playing against in this period, they’re all having an extra day’s recovery than us.

“That’s tough going, we don’t have the luxury of making a lot of changes in the squad, but the concentration was there.

“If you can’t win a game you make sure you don’t lose it, that was the big difference in terms of what we’ve experienced this season, we kept concentrating and were solid all the way to the end, I can’t remember Joe having a save to make.

“It became tougher to break them down as we became more tired.”