Josh Windass makes blunt Sheffield Wednesday demand ahead of Derby, Millwall tests | OneFootball

Windass has set a big challenge to his team for their next two Championship games, with the attacker targeting maximum points.

Josh Windass believes Sheffield Wednesday will need to win their next two games against Derby County and Millwall if they want to be taken seriously in the race for a top-six finish.

Windass made the comments to the Sheffield Star ahead of what looks set to be an important January for the Owls, as they look to push at the higher end of the table.

They may have only just escaped relegation at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, but Wednesday's very poor start to last season under Xisco Munoz played a part in that.

Danny Rohl also made some shrewd additions during this summer window, so the Owls are in a much better position now than they were last term, especially with the club's German head coach having pre-season to put his stamp on the team.

Rohl is one of the most talented managers in the EFL and that has given plenty of people the belief that Wednesday could be successful during the 2024/25 campaign.

However, they sit in 11th place at this stage and will need to get some positive results on the board next month if they are to be involved in the promotion mix at the end of this term.

Josh Windass makes strong claim ahead of Derby County and Millwall tests

On Wednesday, they host Derby County at Hillsborough, and remain at home on Saturday for their clash against Millwall.

The Lions recently appointed Alex Neil as their new manager, so it will be interesting to see what happens this weekend.

Windass believes his team needs to come out with wins from both games if they want to be taken seriously in the promotion race.

The forward said: "We’ve got two massive home games now and we need to take maximum points if we want to be taken seriously.

"We’re in a good position but we need to take that next step, we need to start picking up wins on the bounce."

Sheffield Wednesday need to put their foot on the gas

With the Owls having their next two games at Hillsborough, this is a good opportunity to win six points.

And without disrespecting both teams, Wednesday will be expected to do well in both games.

The two matches won't be easy for the Owls, but with their home supporters behind them, they will fancy themselves to get back on track.

If they are to secure a top-six place at the end of the season, they need to make their home patch a fortress, and a strong start to 2025 in South Yorkshire could send them on their way.