Hint on Josh Windass from Darren Moore as Sheffield Wednesday brace for Ipswich Town test

The forward, who has offered a goal contribution once every 35 minutes in League One football this season, has been carefully managed on his road back from hamstring surgery.

And with a resurgent Ipswich Town the visitors to S6 this afternoon, he could be in line to make only his second start of the season.

A manic fixture schedule lies ahead for the Owls and Moore's squad will have to be carefully managed.

He said: “We have constant updates to see where the players are physically. We know with the games coming up we will be having daily conversations to make sure the players have the best opportunity to perform without risking fatigue.

“We need to heed the signs and don’t want to send players into games if they will be fatigued 20-30 minutes in and putting pressure on the team.

“We have an incredibly busy period of games coming up and all the players have to be managed correctly.”

On Windass specifically, he said: “We feel now after that lengthy lay-off that he’s ready. We have had to build him up.

“He does what it says on the tin - he scores goals. He is one that we have to put the reins on because since he has stepped on to the football pitch he has wanted to play.

“We feel he has had the volume and the loading. We feel he is now in a position where he could be in the starting 11.”

Having started slowly, Ipswich have jumped above Wednesday in the table under new boss Kieran McKenna.

“Kieran has done a great job,” Moore said. “They’re in good form at the moment. They are looking to build consistency.

“It will be a good game, two big teams in this division going head-to-head. Ipswich have some good players but so do we and it will be an exciting game.

“They are bringing a few thousand to Hillsborough so I’m really looking forward to the atmosphere, which I thought was fantastic in our last home game against Plymouth.”