Owls striker Chris O’Grady is out to make his mark in the Championship and believes his pre-season campaign has stood him in good stead ahead of the new term.
O’Grady struck three times in friendlies against Sheffield FC, Reading and Kilmarnock before scoring twice in Wednesday’s Capital One Cup triumph against Oldham on Monday.
The powerful striker believes his hard work over the summer months is already paying off and told swfc.co.uk:
“I’ve worked as hard as I possibly could this pre-season, I’ve scored five goals so far and I want to show the manager that I have got something to give.
“I believe if you work hard, you’ll eventually get what you deserve. Some people can work hard but feel it’s not paying off and give up but you have to keep going.
“I just want to play and if that means coming on from the bench then that’s what I’ll do.
“I got on early against Oldham so I knew I had time to make an impact. We knew if we could get an early goal after half time then we could go on and win the game.”
The 26-year-old last played in the Championship with former club Leicester in 2006/07 and is eager to grasp another shot at the second tier this time around.
He added: “I knew that when we went away for the off season that I could come back stronger and show the manager that I have got something to give this coming season.
“The last time I played in the Championship was six years ago and it will be nice on Saturday if I can be involved against Derby because it’s been a long journey back to this division.”