Boro ready for 'different' Hillsborough atmosphere

Rob Edwards' Middlesbrough have taken 21 out of a possible 30 points this season

Middlesbrough head coach Rob Edwards says he has been preparing his side for a "different" atmosphere for their midweek game at Sheffield Wednesday.

There have been rumours of a boycott by fans of the troubled south Yorkshire club for the Championship match at Hillsborough on Wednesday (20:00 BST).

In the Owls' most recent home game against Coventry City, a small number of supporters entered the pitch to protest against the club's owner Dejphon Chansiri.

So, Edwards has briefed his squad on what may happen as he does not want their fine start to the season to be derailed.

"A lot of the lads who are here or know the league maybe know a little bit of what is going on at Sheffield Wednesday," Edwards told BBC Radio Tees.

"For one or two of the new boys, it might have been a bit surprising when I spoke about it yesterday.

"We've talked about it because we don't want anything to be a surprise and then we can concentrate on what is the most important thing, which is the football."

Wednesday are bottom of the table and have taken a solitary point from their five home games so far, culminating in that 5-0 hammering by leaders Coventry.

With more than 3,600 Boro fans heading down from Teesside, Edwards wants nothing to get in the way of his team maintaining their early-season momentum.

"There will be external things going on that we can't control, and we can't allow that to disrupt us and affect us," he said.

"We're expecting a little bit of a different atmosphere. We just have to look after ourselves and what we do. That's all we can do and the boys know that."