Dave Challinor is keen to avoid an FA Cup shock in his first game as the new Sheffield Wednesday manager.

Challinor takes The Owls to Boundary Park on Sunday evening to face Oldham Athletic in front of the TV cameras in the first round of the competition. The Latics are 18th in League Two, three points above the relegation zone.

The tie is a potential banana-skin for Wednesday, who were thumped 4-0 by Oldham in pre-season. The cup clash has all the ingredients for an upset, but having worked his way up through the leagues, Challinor will know what to expect.

“I don't imagine playing on a Sunday at 5.15pm would have been the case if they (TNT Sports) thought it was going to be a walkover,” he said. “So people will expect the FA Cup and what that brings and the potential of shocks. We've got to concentrate on the bits that we need to do.”

Wednesday have not won any of their last four and only one of their last eight in the league, a run which cost Henrik Pedersen his job. Within that, some players have received criticism, and that will be used as fuel to prove their doubters wrong.

“I think there will have been comments and things said about the team recently that aren't nice,” Challinor continued. “Well, let's use that as a motivation. The fact they might go and show the real versions of us and hopefully progress to the next round.”

After taking his first training sessions this week, Challinor is ‘looking forward’ to matchday and seeing how they perform in a competitive game, saying he is ‘intrigued’ by what comes of it. The new boss has been wary not to bombard the squad with too much information but hopes that people will notice the tweaks they have tried to make over the coming weeks.

“There will be information that we've given the players and we just want to see how that has landed, and whether they can carry those things out,” he added. “I am really intrigued to see what we've got from the start, if you like. I've got true belief that will produce a performance that will be fitting of the travelling supporters.”