More goals and mental toughness: Sheffield Wednesday's George Byers is finding form – and loving it

The 25-year-old was seen as exciting signing when Darren Moore managed to persuade Swansea City to let him leave as a free agent over the summer, but after playing his part in early wins over Doncaster Rovers and Fleetwood Town he was hit by a nightmare blow.

After coming off in the defeat to Plymouth Argyle in September, Byers missed out on 20 of the next 21 games as he recovered from injury, biding his time on the bench since the turn of the year before announcing his arrival back in the side with a rocket against Morecambe in February.

Since then things have got better. Substantially. He’s having his best ever scoring season and played 13 of the last 14 League One games as the Owls push for promotion.

“It’s where I want to be,” he told The Star. “Playing free football with no pain and no injuries. I feel like I’m in a good place now, and getting a good runs of games helps that. I’m feeling good.”

But he admits that his start to life at Hillsborough wasn’t easy.

“It’s tough,” Byers said. “When you come to a new club it’s a big change, for both me and my family. You’re getting used the place, the surroundings, and to be fair to the boys they’ve been top ever since I came.

“But to get an injury when you’re not really settled in is frustrating, but these things happen and since the turn of the year things have been good for me. I’m in a good place, and I really want to kick on now.”

Thankfully for the midfield man, he’s no stranger to dealing with injury.

“It can be mentally tough, but I won’t say that I doubt myself ever. I had two surgeries in the space of six months when I was at Swansea, and that takes a toll on the body itself, but now I’ve changed a lot of things that I’ve been doing, and those things have worked for me – so hopefully I can keep doing those things and just stay as fit as I can.

“I had double groin surgery then, and I was only meant to be out for eight weeks, but it ended up being five months. That took a toll, and then when I was fit again the team was doing really well which was why I decided to make the move to Portsmouth.

“I wasn’t in a good place mentally during that time with my injury, but you have to take the positives out of the situation and just be the best person that you can be around other players and at home especially. I took bits and pieces from that experience to use now.

“I think that the key is understanding what your body needs… In terms of the training it needs and the extras that you need to do. You need to manage yourself in the best way that you can, and with the games coming thick and fast you need to make sure you recover – I think knowing my body has been a key aspect for me since I came here to be honest. I think I’ve got there now, and long may that continue.”

Maintaining a positive mental space isn’t a one man job, though – his manager and teammates play their part in that.

“Away from football he’s a genuinely nice guy,” he said of Moore. “And he’s really good to have around the place. He keeps you happy, and you need that when you’re injured and not involved. It’s frustrating time, and mentally it's tough, so it's good to have that boost - and it's not just him, all the boys are really positive as well. It’s a good changing room, we have a laugh, and that helps.”

Bonds are being formed and relationships being solidified, something that’s become evident in midfield in the partnership between Byers, Barry Bannan and Massimo Luongo, who have become mainstays in recent weeks.

When asked about the trio, and getting more goals, Byers said, “When you’re playing with players who are as good as Mass and Baz, you have to take bits and pieces from their game and use it yourself – but you’ve also got to play your own game as well. We’ve been doing well, we’re playing to each other’s strengths, and we have a good understanding – I think that’s showing.

“I’m trying to get into the right positions now and anticipate where the ball is going to be, or where I need to be to score or shoot. I’ve always been quite good at that, but getting a run of games helps. I’ve always had an eye for goal, and hopefully I can get a few more before the end of the season.”

In order to do that, however, he needs to get his football/life balance right.

"I’ve moved to Sheffield but I’m bit of the way,” Byers explained. “I like a bit of peace and quiet and being away from things a bit with my family when I’m away from the training ground.

“I’m a person that loves football, I’m always watching it and I love the game, but there’s also a time to switch off from it. I’ve got a little one now, and another one on the way, so I’m always on my toes at home and that keeps me busy, so it’s good to take a step back from it when you’re not training or playing – it refreshes the mind and means you can be fully focused when you come back in.”

Fully focused and scoring goals is exactly what Wednesdayites want – and at 25-years-old you have to think that the Owls’ number 14 still has a lot more to come.

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