Sheffield Wednesday: Why the positives outweigh the negatives for Garry Monk

It is tough to argue with Garry Monk in terms of on the field matters.

Back-to-back wins over Charlton Athletic and Brentford has breathed new life into Sheffield Wednesday’s promotion challenge and lifted them back into the Championship's play-off positions for the first time since October.

Their upturn in form has lifted the mood amid the club's ongoing dispute with the English Football League over the legality of their sale of Hillsborough to owner Dejphon Chansiri. It looks increasingly like that dispute will rumble on into next year.

But despite their off-the-field troubles, the Owls are handily placed in the table. They occupy sixth position going into a tough-looking away double-header with Derby County and Nottingham Forest.

For the Owls to fight back from a goal down on Saturday and beat a classy Brentford side was a real statement of intent.

Yet Monk is refusing to get carried away, insisting Wednesday remain a work in progress.

He told The Star: "We are trying to move in the right direction. We are in a healthy position but of course it doesn't count for anything at this point.

"I understand what areas we need to improve and get better at. They (the players) are working daily on it.

"There are always bits that aren't quite right or things you need to improve but I think overall there are a lot of positives."

Monk was quick to praise his squad after gritty second half showing against fellow top-six hopefuls Bees.