Heckingbottom exclusive part 1

Last updated : 06 July 2005 By Andy Parsons

The left-back who finished the season as one of Wednesday's most consistent performers, believes that if Wednesday can take their confidence from their play-off push into the new season, they will do well.

He told Footymad: "We are still on a high from Cardiff and it’s important that we don’t forget what happened down there when it comes to the start of the season and remember how we played in the final games of last season and that can only be a benefit to us.

"It was the highlight of my career by a mile, I have played over 300 games and that is the first team award I have won and it meant everything to me and I am sure that you could tell that after the game! People can play all their careers and never have an opportunity to play on a big stage and such a big occasion as that."

Despite the former Bradford and Norwich star not being in the best of form early in the season and picking up a few injuries, he always had confidence that The Owls would be promoted.

He added: "Even when things were bad for me at the start of the season I always knew that the players here were good enough. I was injured when the gaffer came in so my fortunes changed straight away, we went on a good run and I got myself back in the picture.

"It’s hard to say how we will do next season, but we will give it our best shot but I think a lot depends on the start you get – if you get a good one then you set your sights higher and if we struggle it will make every point important.

"This is a tough league and there are lots of good players in it while we are a young team who are still getting built, last season some of our players experienced their first full season of league football but at the end of the day, time will tell and we can only get better."

Meanwhile former Owls players Matt Hamshaw and Lewis McMahon have signed for Stockport County and Notts County respectively.