'I'm proud of my players' - Pedersen

Sheffield Wednesday manager Henrik Pedersen was "proud" of his players despite their 3-1 defeat by Southampton at Hillsborough.

Goals from James Bree, Ryan Manning and Taylor Harwood-Bellis secured victory for the Saints, despite Jerry Yates initially halving the deficit.

Pedersen praised his players for not dropping their efforts against a strong side.

"I think they put all on the pitch what they could today," he said. "We played a fantastic team in Southampton with strong individuals and a strong team.

"The boys played a really strong second half and at 2-1, we had possibilities, then again [conceded] a set-piece goal for 3-1. But at 3-1, we still had a go, we still had chances and put pressure on them.

"I hate to lose but I'm so proud of the players."

He added that the already-relegated Owls showed grit and determination having had fewer days to prepare than recent opponents.

"It's easy to show who you are when everything is smooth, everything goes well and you win football games," Pedersen said.

"But to show who you are, in a third game in six days when [midweek hosts] Norwich had one day extra, when Southampton had one day extra, to show so much character, so much personality, I can only be proud of them."