Josh Windass grabbed the headlines as he netted a hat-trick in a thumping win for Sheffield Wednesday.
The former Rangers man was on top form as the Owls smashed five past Cambridge United in front of a packed home support to move into second spot in England's League One as they continue the fight for the title and automatic promotion to the English Championship. It was the perfect start to the year for boss Darren Moore, who reserved special praise for the attacker.
It was the perfect confidence booster ahead of a huge FA Cup tie against English Premier League high-flyers Newcastle United. The league will be the main priority this season for Wednesday - but they will go into the clash with Eddie Howe's men full of confidence and with the belief of causing a major upset due to recent results and form. The festive period has brought three wins from three - including an away win over Celtic hero Scott Brown's Fleetwood Town on Boxing Day.
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Speaking about ex-Light Blues star Windass and his team-mates after the five-star show, boss Moore said: “My focus is with Sheffield Wednesday, what happens elsewhere is not our concern. We are just focused on making sure we give the best version of ourselves.
“Of course it’s nice to be in the top two, it’s where we want to be. Am I happy with that? Yes. Am I satisfied with that? No. Why? Because we can get better, we have to get better as the season goes on and the way to do that is hard work on the training ground and taking that work into games as we did today.
“I thought the performance today was excellent. We scored the early goal and that set the tone really because it forced Cambridge out and we were able to take advantage of that.
“Our attacking play was good and we showed that ruthless edge. Josh will take the headlines and rightly so because he’s come back into the team and scored a hat-trick, which is an achievement at any level.
“But we were excellent all over the pitch. It’s our 14 th clean sheet of the season and that’s the foundation for any team to succeed. We were tight at the back and ruthless up front so it’s a perfect day in that respect.”
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