Sheffield Wednesday new boy Yan Valery ranks 'crazy' Owls atmosphere - primed for Sunderland

Sheffield Wednesday supporters have already made a big impression on a number of their new players - and Yan Valery has joined the list of those to have been wowed. The Frenchman made his debut for the club in their rampant win over Plymouth Argyle and took Sky Sports’ man of the match award for a stellar performance on the right of defence.

Jamal Lowe spoke after the game to pay testament to the noise generated at S6 - particularly during their pre-match rendition of ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ - and other new faces have spoken in glowing terms about what they have experienced since joining the club. Wednesday make the trip up to Sunderland this weekend and with a crowd of over 40,000 expected, the noise could well be competitive.

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Asked where he would rank the Hillsborough atmosphere compared those experienced at his previous clubs, the former Southampton, Birmingham City and SC Angers man didn’t hesitate.

“I put it first,” he said with a grin. “I would say clearly that Southampton fans, they were top, but I had never experienced what I experienced with the Sheffield Wednesday fans. With Angers, they were not really fans that were loud in the stadium, so it definitely doesn’t compare. Southampton was great, they were passionate and they were really loud fans, but what happened in Sheffield I haven’t experienced with my own club. Away games with other clubs maybe, but at a home ground? Never.

“It’s crazy. I didn’t expect it, I expected it to be loud but it was like they were just one unit, all together. It just runs through your body, it’s crazy, you have to experience it to understand it. It makes you so ready to go on the pitch and it gives you more energy, it’s such a good feeling.”

Owls boss Danny Röhl has spoken about the fans playing a big part in Wednesday’s attempt for success this season. With tough-looking games against Sunderland and then at home to Leeds United coming quick, Valery described a settled feeling having joined the club two months ago.

He said: “We have a good group of lads here and it has been easy to settle, even with so many new players. It feels like we’ve been a long time together and I think you can see on the pitch that we have a good group, we work hard. It has been easy to settle and for my family too, we are now in a house. It is good, we like the city, it’s a really nice city. In every aspect it has been a really good move for me.”

Valery has previous knowledge of Sunderland manager Régis Le Bris having come up against his sides before in France. Matches between the Black Cats and the Owls are often raucous affairs as two sets of passionate fan bases go about cancelling one another out. So is Valery excited by the prospect of a 40,000-strong crowd, or nervous at the prospect of a home atmosphere to rival that of S6?

“Of course I am excited, it’s what you play football for,” he grinned once more. “It will be a good game, a tough game, with a good atmosphere. That’s everything you want to experience as a football player.”