“Fractured at times” – Will Vaulks lifts lid on Sheffield Wednesday dressing room ahead of Peterborough United clash | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday are in a great position to kick on and seal the League One title this season after losing to Sunderland at the play-off semi final stage last term.

The Owls have assembled one of the best squads that the third tier has ever seen and in that Darren Moore has been under a lot of pressure to deliver automatic promotion.

2021/22 was a strange campaign for Wednesday in parts, struggling to adjust to the new level before looking like one of the best teams in the league for the whole second half of the season.

They have been able to carry that momentum into this campaign but disappointment did linger around the place after last term.

Will Vaulks arrived in the summer and explained how the atmosphere was impacted by failure to win promotion when he spoke to The Yorkshire Post.

He said: “It was a bit fractured at times, the previous year (season) for certain and even at the start of the year (season) disappointment was overhanging from missing out in the play-offs last season.

“It takes time sometimes and the manager is a very calm influence on the squad.

“On the pitch, we have managed to keep body language a bit better.

“We know the fans here expect high standards and at times they won’t be happy with the results or way we are playing at that current moment and it’s dealing with that (sometimes).

“Our fans are brilliant, but when they expect better, they will make us aware and over the course of the season, we’ve got better at that.”

The Verdict

Vaulks appears to have contributed to the calmness and composure of the squad in complimenting George Byers and Barry Bannan in midfield very well, the latter duo having the scars from last season’s disappointment.

Quiz: Are these 20 Sheffield Wednesday facts real or fake?

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Darren Moore is the current manager?

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It feels like Moore already has a squad that should be capable of stabilising back in the second tier next season and with Sunderland demonstrating what can be achieved after promotion this term, Wednesday supporters can hold a lot of optimism after next season.

There is still work to be done of course, but with Plymouth Argyle and Ipswich Town slipping up in the last couple of months, it feels very unlikely that the Owls do not go on to comfortably seal the title.