Former Ipswich Town defender Neil Thompson has played down talk of taking on the Sheffield Wednesday job full-time despite getting off to a winning start as caretaker.

Thompson is in temporary charge at Hillsborough following the sacking of Tony Pulis and made the best possible start to the job with a 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough last night.

The former Town man, who made more than 200 appearances for the club between 1989 and 1996, has been coaching at Wednesday since 2011 in both youth and senior roles, before stepping up in place of Pulis at a time when the Yorkshire club sit inside the Championship’s bottom three.

East Anglian Daily Times: Neil Thompson, left, is in caretaker charge of Sheffield WednesdayNeil Thompson, left, is in caretaker charge of Sheffield Wednesday (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Nigel Pearson, Paul Cook and Gus Poyet have all been mentioned in connection with the job, while former Bayern Munich defender Thorsten Fink is the current favourite with many bookmakers, having most-recently managed in Japan with Vissel Kobe.

Thompson was asked whether he would be interested in the post full-time following last night’s victory but distanced himself from a permanent role as Owls manager.

“I’ve got to say, I’ve not even thought about it,” he told the Sheffield Star. “It’s been that quick over the last 24 hours. We’re back in tomorrow, we’ll get rested up, get prepared, and come back in for Friday.

"I spoke to the Chairman last night, and he said to prepare the team for tonight. As far as I know I’m preparing for Friday, if I’m not then I’m not. We’ll start tomorrow.

East Anglian Daily Times: Neil Thompson made over 200 appearances for Ipswich TownNeil Thompson made over 200 appearances for Ipswich Town (Image: Archant)

"The last 24 hours has just been about trying to get the group right, and I think we did that tonight.”

Thompson has previous managerial experience dating back to his spells with York City, Scarborough and Boston United.

Whoever takes the job will inherit a side which is battling a six-point deduction for breaking the Championship’s profit and sustainability rules, with disagreements with ownership said to be behind Pulis’s departure less than two months after his appointment.