Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore is excited by the challenge of facing the likes of Leeds United and Leicester City after sealing promotion from League One.
Speaking to Sky Sports, via Football League World, at the full-time whistle after his side’s 1-0 play-off final win over Barnsley, he admitted the prospect of facing the relegated Premier League sides had only just started to dawn on him.
Many people are already regarding next season’s Championship as one of the best in a number of years based on the clubs who came down from the top-flight, and those who were promoted from League One.
The division is full of a number of clubs who have spent time in the Premier League recently with a number of local derbies also set to be on display.
Leeds will face Wednesday for the first time since January 2020 next season, in what is always a tasty affair between the two Yorkshire clubs.
Moore relishing Leeds test
Given all three promoted sides from the 2021/22 campaign stayed in the Premier League, three big established clubs have dropped into the Championship.
Certainly no one would have predicted Leicester to be among the three relegated sides, while Leeds and Southampton have also enjoyed some excellent seasons in the top-flight.
Moore believes it is shaping up to be a very exciting season in the second tier and facing the likes of Leeds and Leicester is something his side are relishing.
“You know, I didn’t even think who had come down from the Premier League but since coming up, things like that are dawning on me.
“There are some big games, there are some special games. When you look at the Championship now, it looks like a real strong Championship with the teams that have come down.
“Us going up with the other teams up – ourselves, Ipswich, and Plymouth going up. You look at some of the games coming up and it’s really exciting.
“We look back at it, we draw breath, in terms of the fact we’re going into a really exciting campaign and that’s why for us a football club we need to make sure we get a lot of things right going up to that level.”
After three years in the Premier League, Leeds are going to have to get used to being a number of clubs’ biggest games of the season again.
Hull City have already sent a jibe to the Whites after their relegation, while Yorkshire derbies against Huddersfield Town, Rotherham United and, of course, Wednesday will be big occasions.
Leeds must quickly learn to accept that fact or it could be a tough season.
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