Darren Moore could return before Sheffield Wednesday’s season ends - potential player boost too

The Wednesday boss is out of hospital and on the road to recovery after dealing with pneumonia and blood clots on his lungs in the aftermath of his bout of COVID-19, and there were fears that he may not be back before the campaign was finalised.

Now though, his stand-in has suggested that Moore could possibly be back in time for the crucial visit of Nottingham Forest next weekend, a match that signals the Owls’ penultimate chance to get three points on the board.

Speaking to The Star after the 3-1 defeat to Middlesbrough on Saturday, Smith said, “He’s still on the mend, he’s improving day by day… We’ll have to wait and see with him. Potentially we could be looking at the later part of next week, but we’ll just have to see how he is. He’s definitely improving though.”

Luckily for the Owls, their defeat coincided with losses for both Derby County and Rotherham United, leaving them four points adrift of safety with six points left to play for – including a final day battle with the Rams.

And despite their latest setback, Smith says they’re still not giving up, telling the media, “We've got a chance, yes, because mathematically it's still possible… We'll keep fighting. The players are really disappointed in there

“We knew it was a game where we could get something from, unfortunately we haven't done so. There's definitely still a sense of belief.”

He also gave a bit of an injury update, saying, “I know Chey (Dunkley) and Massimo (Luongo) have been upping their training. I'm not sure whether they'll be available or fit enough… Maybe we'll have them, and maybe Joost as well. He may be available next week.

“It'll be nice to not have a midweek game. It'll give us time to prepare and have a full week's preparation for that next game.”

Wednesday face Forest at 3pm on Saturday afternoon in their final home game of what has ultimately been a season to forget for the Owls.

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