Dean's technique and mum’s sprint speed – Sheffield Wednesday attacker Josh Windass on getting better and better as milestone looms

Be it when he broke his leg in the latter stages of a cruelly-ended academy life at Huddersfield Town, failed trials with Bradford City and Crewe Alexandra or a stint on a freezing building site, there were times it looked a lot like he might not follow his father Dean into the family business – scoring goals.

Luckily for Sheffield Wednesday, he did. And heading into this weekend’s home clash with Peterborough United, Windass looks set to bring up a very special milestone; his 100th appearance for the Owls. With 31 goals and 14 assists to his name in that time, it’s been a successful century – season-stealing hamstring injury in the rearview mirror.

It’s that goal threat that has seen Windass produce Wednesday’s most prolific strike partnership in some time has been formed, though his style isn’t necessarily to the taste of Dean, whose own Owls career was cruelly ended just 98 matches short of his ton-up bow by a back injury while on loan from Middlesbrough.

“When I play up front I just get stick from my old man really,” Windass laughed in conversation with The Star last month. “He hates watching me play up front.

“He was a lot stronger than me in terms of holding defenders off, he was a lot stronger than me in that sense.

“I’m a lot quicker than my dad – I think I got my mum’s sprint speed which is lucky! We have similar technical qualities but as athletes we’re completely different.”

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With the likes of Wednesday and Rangers in particular listed as employees, Windass can already be happy with a career that threatened never to get going after his teenage release from Town.

Though some of his best football has been played as an advanced midfielder Windass’ best numbers have been achieved up top. Into the last year of his 20s, the versatile speedster is desperate to continue a decade’s arc of improvement that has taken him to this point.

“I do like playing up front but it’s not my favourite position – and I think the gaffer knows it’s not my favourite position,” he grinned tongue firmly in cheek.

“When I play up there I play differently to the guys like Pato, Greggers, Smudger who are all out-and-out number nines, they like to pin defenders and stay in the box while I think to move defenders, join in with the midfield. The gaffer seems to play me up front in the type of games he wants to see me do that sort of thing.

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“We get pointers from all of them [the coaching team]. I speak a lot to Jimmy Shan after games and in the week about what little things I can do better or what he thinks I can do right or wrong. He’s one but all the coaches are obviously experienced and have a good football brains.

“I’m always learning. I’m only 29, I’m wanting to get better and better and that’s what I’m working hard to do.”

Approaching his century, that sort of talk suggests it may well be that the best is yet to come for Josh Windass.