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Steve Evans comments on whether Sheffield Wednesday would have won play-off final

Leeds United manager Steve Evans applauds the fans after the game (REUTERS)
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Mansfield Town boss Steve Evans sees his side face Sheffield Wednesday in a pre-season friendly.

Mansfield Town boss Steve Evans is looking forward to his side’s upcoming clash with Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Speaking to Chad, Evans said that he believes the Owls should be in the Premier League.

Wednesday lost the play-off semi final on penalties and Evans believes they would have beaten Reading in the final if they had got there.

Leeds United manager Steve Evans applauds the fans after the gameSteve Evans

He said: “My own personal view is that like Huddersfield, who went up, if Sheffield Wednesday had got to Wembley, then I think they’d have been in the Premier League.”

One of Evans’ most infamous clashes with Wednesday was while Rotherham United boss, when he celebrated prematurely on by running onto the pitch before the Owls scored an even later winner.

He insists he has strong feelings for the club despite going onto manage rivals Leeds United, offering a reminder that he claims to have turned the job down in 2013.

Huddersfield Town's Danny Ward saves a penalty for Sheffield Wednesday's Fernando Forestieri to win the shoot outHuddersfield Town’s Danny Ward saves Fernando Forestieri’s penalty to win the shoot out

He said: “They are a wonderful club – one of the top seven or eight in British football – and they will bring a healthy support who will want to see their team play some good football.

“It’s not so many years ago that I could have been the manager of Sheffield Wednesday and I know their backroom team particularly well.”

Mansfield are in League Two and after taking over mid-season, Evans hopes his side will win promotion this coming campaign.

He has been recruiting players at a prolific pace this summer, and the match against Sheffield Wednesday will be a stern test.