New Sheffield Wednesday manager Garry Monk has admitted the club will be targeting promotion to the Premier League this season, but says there are a number of other sides who will have that same ambition.

Monk enjoyed a perfect start to his time as Owls boss on Sunday afternoon, as they ran out 2-0 winners over Huddersfield Town, who themselves were under the new management of Danny Cowley.

Headers in either half from Steven Fletcher and Sam Winnall however, made sure that it was Monk who came away with the three points from his first game in charge of his new side.

That win has seen Wednesday climb to ninth in the Championship table, and Monk is hopeful that he can take the club even higher than that.

Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports following the game, Monk was asked what he thought the squad at his disposal is capable of, with the 40-year-old saying: "I think the nucleus of this squad has been together for three or four years now.

"They had a great first two years where they got to the play-offs consecutively and then the last two years there's probably been questions about the group."

Explaining what he had said to his new side about their targets for the campaign, Monk continued: "I said it to the players at the start of the week, 'there are doubts about you, we do believe you have the quality but for whatever reason the last two years it hasn't worked, now we need to work together and have the mindset to try and achieve something.

"But, you know as well as me in this league there's plenty of teams that think the same, and the thing in this league it's realistic for a lot of teams to try and achieve that.

Even so, it seems Monk expects Wednesday to be in the mix come the end of the season, as he concluded: "But we know we're capable, we're at a big club, and the expectations will always be to try and push for promotion back to the Premier League, the problem is we have a lot of teams that are also going to say that."

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Having picked up three points in his opening game in charge, Monk and Wednesday will look to build on that when they are next in action on Saturday afternoon, as they host Fulham at Hillsborough.

The Verdict

I do think Monk is right to say that Wednesday are capable of competing for a top-six spot this season.

With the Owls having lost just four games in the league in the second half of last season, there is clearly the potential within that squad to challenge for that this season.

Their performance at Huddersfield on Sunday did suggest that they have carried that potential into this season, and that should be a big source of encouragement for Monk going forward.

Given Monk's own experience in the Championship - not least with a Birmingham side hampered by issues seemingly beyond his control last season - you feel as he will also be confident in his own ability to guide Wednesday into such a position, meaning this could yet prove a very effective linkup between club and manager.