Henrik Pedersen couldn’t have made it clearer what his main ‘focus’ at Sheffield Wednesday is right now

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Henrik Pedersen walked into a baptism of fire today at the King Power Stadium, but he and his players can hold their heads high after a brave Sheffield Wednesday performance.

The Owls were given no hope of getting a result in their opening fixture away at Leicester City, but by half-time, it was the away side who held all the cards and a one-goal advantage.

We were very impressed with the Sheffield Wednesday players, who put up a valiant effort against a much stronger opposition and nearly grabbed at least a point.

Ultimately, it wasn’t to be, with the Foxes snatching all three points with just three minutes of normal time to go against the ten men of Sheffield Wednesday, but Henrik Pedersen saw enough to be feeling positive about the future.

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Henrik Pedersen is ‘proud’ of Sheffield Wednesday’s performance

Sheffield Wednesday fans were proud of their players after the game, and by the sounds of it, so was Pedersen.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “First of all, I am very proud of the boys. We all have been through so much, and then pre-season we have played against lower league opponents, to then play Leicester City here, I’m very proud of the effort.

“We played with confidence, we were well prepared. The boys also in the difficult phases where we didn’t have the ball, they kept doing what they needed to do, they kept up a tactical discipline.”

When asked about the two goals his side conceded, both of which came from set-pieces, Pedersen replied: “We are used to this problem from last season, so it’s very frustrating. We were one man down, but again, the performance behind the result was amazing. This is a good basis for the future.”

Wednesday will next face Hull City in the Carabao Cup before a home tie with Stoke City in the Championship next Saturday. But, based on what we saw today, most of those predictions suggesting the Owls will end up bottom of the league may be getting reconsidered.

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Henrik Pedersen comments on Barry Bannan red card

Obviously, one of the major talking points and a big turning point in the game was the red card for Barry Bannan. Some declared it a harsh sending off, and Pedersen is firmly in that camp it seems.

First of all, the Owls boss was asked about the potential offside for Leicester’s first goal, and he said: “I’ve just seen it now and I think it’s very tight either way.”

Discussing Bannan’s sending off, he added: “Of course it’s also tough with Barry’s second yellow, but again I’m just so proud of the boys.

“He is frustrated, he wanted to be the leader on the pitch. I think he was fantastic today… he will be there for the boys outside the pitch. They will stay together.”

Looking ahead to the next games and what he might be able to do to bolster the increasingly thin Sheffield Wednesday squad, Pedersen replied: “We don’t have the biggest squad, so with Barry and Nathaniel [Chalobah] out, we have 13 senior players. But we will get the best we can out of them.

“Honestly, I don’t know the current situation [with regards to transfers]. All my focus is on the players I have.”