Arrive in kit, no showers: Middlewood Road reopens as Sheffield Wednesday step up coronavirus protocols

Wednesday’s next two matches – against Coventry City and Wycombe Wanderers – have been suspended after the club reported to the EFL that they would be unable to fulfil the fixtures due to the impact of a coronavirus outbreak at the club.

The club are one of several to have run into issues. It was announced this morning that Wycombe’s match with QPR was suspended after the Chairboys returned a similar finding.

The Owls’ Middlewood Road training ground has been closed for 11 days but The Star understands it has reopened to players and staff who are not showing any symptoms of Covid-19 and, crucially, who have tested negative for the virus in a second round of testing this week, administered by the club on their way into training.

It is not known how many first team players have returned to training this morning, though several squad members are understood to still be in recovery.

Yesterday the EFL released a new set of protocols for clubs to follow and Wednesday, whose safety programme is managed by EFL medical advisor Dr Richard Higgins, have made changes in order to continue to follow rules to the letter.

With indoor facilities limited, players will arrive at training in their kit and will not be granted access to the showers afterwards. As has been the case throughout, players exhibiting even minor symptoms will not be allowed access to the training ground. Those still isolating or showing any signs of illness will continue to recover and train from home.

Non-footballing staff that would usually be permitted access to the training ground, though only subject to similar testing protocols, will stay away. In a further bid to open up space at the training ground and minimise risk, staff and players in the club’s academy side have been moved to Thorncliffe until further notice.

As it stands, Wednesday’s next match will take place on Sunday 24 January when they make the trip to Everton for an FA Cup Fourth Round match.

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