Darren Moore was full of praise for his players and the fans after Wednesday’s play-off clinching win over Portsmouth this afternoon.
We hit back with four goals after conceding first in a nervy opening spell and the Owls boss said: “My thought once those first 10 minutes had passed was that we got some good passages of play going, settled into our rhythm and our gameplan kicked in.
“I thought we were good going forward but off the ball we kept the back door shut. Even when they did break away, we stayed resolute with our defending.
“We got into our passes and rhythm and we got the goals.”
Talking about playing in front of a Hillsborough full house, Moore said: “What can I say, it was a special moment for me today and all the staff.
“To see Hillsborough packed out like that was wonderful and it was a great game played in a great atmosphere.
“The fans have been with us every step of the way, they have seen a lot of ups and downs, twists and turns, and I’m really pleased we put on the performance we did and sent them home happy. I want to thank every single one of them.”
Looking towards the two-legged play-off semi final with Sunderland, Moore added: “We wanted to finish in the top six and that’s what we have achieved and now the hard work starts again.
“The minute we wake up in the morning, the laptops are out, the focus is firmly on Sunderland.
“They are right in form and we know the level of the challenge but I am sure Sunderland will be saying the same thing.
”It’s two huge football clubs meeting in two huge games in front of full houses and I am really looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Commenting on the injury that saw Barry Bannan limp off after 82 minutes of the Portsmouth win, Moore said the medical team need to give it 24-48 hours to let it settle down before giving any further update.