THE recovery made by play-off finalists Bristol City following their six-goal hiding by Ipswich is the example Brian Laws is looking for his Sheffield Wednesday to use today.

Derek Davis

THE recovery made by play-off finalists Bristol City following their six-goal hiding by Ipswich is the example Brian Laws is looking for his Sheffield Wednesday to use today.

The Owls boss is looking for his side not just to take the beating by Reading on the chin but to bounce back this afternoon and go on a similar sort of run Gary Johnson's side did to reach the top six.

Laws said: “I looked at Bristol City last year. They took a thumping at Ipswich, got beat 6-0, and what they did was stayed calm, responded well and got themselves in the play-offs. You never know do you? The response is all-important to us.

"Let's not start panicking yet, there's no need to."

"We got beat 6-0; there were factors which we've been over. I'll take that one on the chin and move on.”

Wednesday's decision to travel down to the Madejski Stadium on the day, a seven-hour coach journey, could have been a factor in that loss.

Laws said: “I know the players are ready to respond. I've got a lot of belief in the players because they're honest and I love working with honest people. I know they'll respond because they're that kind of people. I felt for them on Tuesday but a lot of it was down to ourselves.

"I don't want to give Reading huge credit for being a wonderful team. We made them look a wonderful team because of the goals that we gave them.

"I think we all know that when you have 11 players off the boil, all jaded, all looking way off the mark, it is an off-day.

"Everybody knows it was chalk and cheese and completely out of the blue. It shocked me, it shocked the supporters, it was unexpected, we couldn't see it coming.

"The players are not relying on me to put it right for them, they're going to do that themselves. So let's wait and see."

Former Town loanee Francis Jeffers has impressed for the Owls while coming off the bench, but is not expected to be handed a start against Town as Laws sticks with Marcus Tudgay and Jermaine Johnson up front.

Wednesday are expecting to have Mark Beevers back in the heart of defence with Tommy Spurr shuffling across to left back which would mean Peter Gilbert missing out.