Sheffield Wednesday: Words of new League One manager reaffirm target on Owls' head

And after the dust settled on the heartbreak of their failure to return to the second tier at the first time of asking, preparations for another crack at it sets in.

Many of the so-called ‘smaller clubs’ in the third tier admitted raising their game for the challenge of Wednesday and the other big boys.

And newly-promoted Exeter City boss Matt Taylor touched on the excitement he has for facing some of those bigger names in the division, including the Owls.

“I am excited by all of them,” Taylor said. “Everyone keeps saying about (Wayne) Rooney at Derby, if he stays; going back to my old club Charlton, Portsmouth, everyone will have seen Sheffield Wednesday in the play-offs, MK Dons as well – the list goes on.

“The teams that are coming up – Forest Green and Bristol Rovers – are teams we have played against in the past.

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“We have the local derby, the real local derby with Plymouth and I am really looking forward to seeing how we compete against teams that we have been familiar with in the last ten years, whether that’s Cheltenham, Cambridge, Morecambe or Accrington Stanley.”

Exeter were promoted in second place behind Forest Green Rovers, with Bristol Rovers up in third. Port Vale completed the promoted quartet with their play-off win over Mansfield Town.

The other clubs to come down with Derby County were Peterborough and Barnsley.

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No club in the EFL provided more away supporters in the 2021/22 season than Wednesday and it is occasions such as their trip to the south coast that Taylor is most eagerly anticipating.

“I am looking forward to bigger crowds on a more consistent basis at the Park and bigger away followings,” he said.

“I am sure there will be some grounds that our fans haven’t been to for a long period of time, which they are desperate to go to, and grounds there that they have never been to, but I am looking forward to a lot of those fixtures.”