91Èȱ¬

Sheffield Wednesday striker Gary Madine has won the Football League Young Player of the Month award for September after a superb start to the season.

The 21-year-old has scored 10 goals in 12 games for the League One club making him the division's top scorer.

Madine, who , said: "It's been down to hard work really, but I can't do it without the rest of the team.

"It's hard not to score when you are getting good balls into the box."

Madine's goalscoring form has helped propel his team to second in League One and comes at a good time, as they face City rivals Sheffield United on Sunday.

Owls boss Gary Megson told 91Èȱ¬ Sport: "The award is fully deserved. He didn't set off in the first couple of games in the manner that he wanted to in terms of goalscoring, but the way he was playing and the effort that he was putting in suggested that eventually the goals would come.

"We're delighted to see the goals have not just come in ones or twos, he's scoring on a consistent basis and he's done really well."

Madine's goals have ensured that the chant "Gary Madine - goal machine" has become a favourite with Wednesday supporters this season.

But the forward admits he has had to adopt a name change in order for it to work.

"The chant was from Carlisle when I was younger, but to tell you the truth my name used to be Gary Madine [like wine] - but since goal machine rhymes with Madine they just call me that," he revealed.

"But I love it when 20,000 fans are singing it."

Madine was signed by Megson's predecessor Alan Irvine after spending loan spells at Rochdale, Coventry and Chesterfield.

And Megson said the squad's strength had kept the Gateshead-born player on his toes.

"Whether it happened by design or by accident, Gary's form coincided with the signing of [striker] Chris O'Grady, and there are other people around the place like Ryan Lowe, who can step in if he starts struggling," Megson added.

"Hopefully that doesn't happen, but we have got a decent squad. At the moment he's got that confidence where he expects to score each time he goes out to play."

Madine will secure his place in Wednesday folklore if he can get his name on the scoresheet at Bramall Lane on Sunday as the Owls and the Blades - whose defender Harry Maguire - face each other in the third tier for the first time in 30 years.

And even though he is relatively new to the area, he has been made aware of the game's significance.

"Sheffield Wednesday is a massive club and we underachieved last year and we've got a rivalry now from the other Sheffield team so hopefully we can go and turn them over," he said.

"In town, United and Wednesday fans have been coming up to me saying how much it means to them. United fans are obviously not so happy with me, while Wednesday fans have been telling me to get a hat-trick."