RedFaces: “I think quite a lot of fans hate Leeds United!”

RedFaces stars and Sheffield Wednesday fans, Harry Lyon and Ryan Laycock, are relishing Saturday’s Yorkshire derby as fellow Championship promotion contenders Leeds United host The Owls (12:30).

The Indie Rock duo, 17 and 20, are brimming in confidence after speaking exclusively to Shoot! ahead of their side’s short trip to Elland Road tomorrow lunchtime, with Wednesday having won four of their last five league outings.

Despite suffering a surprise 2-1 defeat at home to Brentford on Tuesday night, Carlos Carvalhal’s men sit level on points with Garry Monk’s Whites (58) in sixth spot, the final play-off place, with Fulham a further six points behind in seventh.

Having lost 2-0 to Leeds at Hillsborough back in August, Saturday’s clash offers Wednesday the perfect opportunity to get one over their local rivals and strengthen their grip on the play-off pack.

“I think quite a lot of fans hate Leeds! I think it is just because it is a local Yorkshire derby,” admitted guitarist Laycock.

Lead singer Lyon added, “It has been a long time since there has been any Yorkshire clubs up where Wednesday have been, so it is the only rivalry we have in the Championship. Who doesn’t want a rivalry?”

“Leeds is the closest thing we have to a Sheffield derby,” Laycock concluded.

RedFaces

After coming so close to sealing a return to the Premier League last year for the first time in 16 years, only to lose the Championship play-off final to Hull City at Wembley Stadium, the RedFaces duo believe The Owls can surpass last term’s sixth-place finish, starting with revenge at Elland Road.

“I think I might go for a similar result to the [Nottingham] Forest result and go 2-1 [to Wednesday],” Laycock predicted.

“Wednesday’s problem is, we can be really good at times, but sometimes our concentration just slips and we can’t really do that against a standard such as Leeds.

“But I think if we keep our heads, we’ll be fine.”

However, bandmate Lyon will settle for a stalemate, “I think we might sneak a draw.

“I think it will be a tough game going away to Leeds. We won all four games and then made some silly errors [against Brentford] and I don’t think we can afford to do that against Leeds. So I’m not entirely sure, but will say 1-1.”