Sheffield Wednesday midfield George Byers has claimed home advantage in the second leg of their play-off showdown with Sunderland could be "massive" in their quest for promotion. The Black Cats booked their place in the play-offs with a win at Morecambe on Saturday, but a win for the Owls against Portsmouth meant they stayed in fourth place in the League One table.
That ensured a battle between two of the biggest clubs in the division, with the first leg at the Stadium of Light on Friday night, before a crucial second leg at Hillsborough on Monday, May 9. And it's that home advantage in the second game which Wednesday hope will prove all-important.
Byers told our sister title Yorkshire Live: "It’s massive for us that the second leg is at home. You’ve seen what the crowd is like. It was incredible (against Portsmouth), and that just pushes us on to do the best that we can. That’s what we need."
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Wednesday head to Wearside on the back of consecutive wins over Fleetwood Town and Portsmouth. But Byers has warned his team-mates not to underestimate the threat Sunderland will pose.
"It’s going to be a tough game," he said. "They’re a good side with good players, but we’re a good side with good players as well.
"It’ll be tough, but we’ll go into confident and if we stick to our game plan and know what we’re good at, then hopefully we’ll get the job done. We need to stick to the game play that’s set out for us, and if we stick to what we’re good at then we know what we’re capable of."
The Owls and the Black Cats have already played each other twice this season. Wednesday cruised to a 3-0 win at Hillsborough but Sunderland gained sweet revenge in their own backyard, putting five past Darren Moore's outfit.
Byers said: "We’re level over both games. It was 3-0 at home when we won, so I wouldn’t say we owe them one, but obviously the last game was nowhere near the levels that we’re capable of playing."
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