Manager's Musings: Post-Saints

Wednesday boss Brian Laws was far from happy with the Owls' performance in the 3-3 draw with high-flying Southampton - but insists the point feels like a win.

Laws insisted Saturday's performance was the worst since he's taken the Hillsborough reigns, and points towards the defensive lapses as the root of his sides problems.

'We were poor. Defensively we were all over the place. The game was so open it could have been 10-10,' Laws told the official Wednesday site.

Laws continued to say things couldn't have been any different to last week's performance which should have merited much more - and praised on-loan stopper Mark Crossley's late heroics which saw the Owls grab a point.

'Last week we were outstanding and got nothing. This almost feels like a win. I was speechless at the end. Mark will be on cloud nine. Actually, we once played together in a testimonial game when he played up front and scored two goals!'

And he insisted the way in which Wednesday grabbed a late point will act as a big confidence booster going in to the tough Boxing Day clash with Tony Pulis's impressive Stoke City side.

'We have to take this as a confidence booster,' said Laws. 'It will be a tough game against a side that is tight defensively and doesn't concede many.'

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