Sheffield Wednesday manager Alan Irvine says it is business as usual from his end in the wake of Lee Strafford's departure from Hillsborough.

Irvine has thanked the former Owls chairman for appointing him at Hillsborough back in January and says that Strafford himself would concur that the focus now must be on player recruitment as Wednesday bid for an instant promotion next season.

Irvine said: "I would like to thank Lee for bringing me to Sheffield Wednesday and I'm sure he would agree that we now have to look forward and concentrate on building the new squad for the new season.

"He is a passionate supporter of this football club and I would like to wish him all the very best in whatever he chooses to do in the future.

"My job is the same now as it was last week - concentrating on bringing in the players that will help us get back into the Championship."

Irvine continues to clock up the miles in readiness for the 2010/11 campaign. Having recently concluded a watching brief in his native Scotland, the Owls boss is currently back south of the border attending play-off contests - firstly between Charlton and Swindon last night, then Millwall and Huddersfield this evening.

He will head back to Sheffield on Wednesday and continue the task, with interim chairman Howard Wilkinson, of revamping the Owls squad.

Irvine said: "I'm taking in as many games as possible because it's important that we are thorough in everything that we do. I'm in London at the moment and I will return to Sheffield tomorrow.

"I am looking forward to working with Howard Wilkinson, who is an extremely respected figure throughout football. We have a lot of work to do and our priority is bringing in the right kind of players with the character and ability to deal with the challenge and expectation of playing for Sheffield Wednesday."