Sheffield Wednesday: Carlos Carvalhal aims to repay '˜unbelievable' Owls fans

Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal is determined to 'repay' the club's loyal fans by leading the Championship club to glory next season.
Owls fansOwls fans
Owls fans

Despite securing their highest-place finish in 17 years, the Owls missed out on promotion to the top-flight.

Wednesday lost in the play-offs for the second year running as Huddersfield Town beat Carvalhal’s men 4-3 on penalties in the semi-finals after it finished 1-1 on aggregate over two legs.

Owls supportersOwls supporters
Owls supporters

Although the Owls fell short at the final hurdle, head coach Carvalhal is confident the team can be involved in the promo tion shake-up again next term.

Carvalhal, who agreed a contract extension earlier this week, said: “Everybody knows we must come back strong because the support we had all season was unbelievable.

“It was an unbelievable atmosphere in the second leg (of the play-offs) and we must repay the fans on the pitch and give a lot of happiness to them.”

The Portuguese chief said the supporters played a big part in persuading him to prolong his Hillsborough stay.

Owls supportersOwls supporters
Owls supporters

“I received a lot of messages from the fans and I am sure that I must stay given this warm environment that I feel inside the club,” said Carvalhal.

Slow starts in each of the last two campaigns have hindered Wednesday’s ability to mount a top-two push.

Carvalhal admitted: “The beginning of the season is very important and I hope we can start better and win more points. If we start well and are near the first positions, we can do well.”