GARY Madine is banking on Dave Jones to bring back the good times to Hillsborough.
The striker has in mind not only some pre-Christmas cheer against Charlton today but also a long-term recovery.
Wednesday may be scrapping at the bottom end of the Championship just now but Madine issued a reminder about Jones’ impact last season and the potential for future years:
“He came in and lifted the whole place; we went on a crazy run of not losing games and he got us promoted; everybody loves him for that. I’m sure he can do that again,” he said.
“You have to take the rough with the smooth - you can’t forget the run we were on when we were winning. When you’re up there, you’re really happy.
“When you’re down there, you need to remember the good times, and we’ll get back there.”
Madine expects the Owls to be thrusting upwards within the two and half years that remain on his contract and believes that the ability in the squad can form the basis for a revival.
He is a big admirer of £750,000 winger Michail Antonio: “We spent a lot of money on Michail; I think he’s absolutely frightening on his day; he terrorises people.”
Madine, recalled for the last two games, is out to make a bigger impact of his own. He says he is his own biggest critic and accepts Jones’ view that he needs to keep working hard and improving.
Admitting that his season, with three goals for him, has been disappointing so far, he says: “I’ve not had as much playing time as I’d like or scored as many goals as I’d like, but I’ve had a little run at it now; hopefully I’ll get my sharpness back, bang in a couple of goals and go on a run.”