‘Needed that’ – Sheffield Wednesday defender’s relief as Owls look forward

The 22-year-old put in a strong showing against the Terriers on Saturday, playing a vital role in their clean sheet at Hillsborough as they kept out the opposition on home soil for the first time since the final day of the 2022/23 league campaign.

Bernard was the only summer signing to start the game as Neil Thompson took the reins, and was just one part of a backline that received praise from the interim manager in his post-match comments.

The centre back also praised the fans for the part they played in getting behind them…

"We needed that, to be honest, as a team,” Bernard said when speaking about the clean sheet. “I thought we were really hard to beat, and nice and aggressive today and it’s something we need to build on with plenty more clean sheets to come.

"We needed the positive energy around us from the crowd, it really helped us – and the fans can be our 12th man at times. If we produce on the pitch we can make it a good watch for the fans, and we definitely need them.”

The former Manchester United youngster also called for focus after Xisco’s departure, news that saw the manager who signed him move on last week, telling The Star, "It’s obviously tough but at the end of the day we’re the ones on the pitch, we’re the ones that need to take responsibility for it. It’s hard for anyone to lose their job, but it’s up to us to keep producing every day now. It’s time to build and it’s a fresh start for some, so we need to produce on the pitch.”

Bernard will now head off on international duty with Jamaica, who will face Grenada and Haiti away from home in the CONCACAF Nations League – he and Juan Delgado of Chile are the only two senior players who will be departing during the current international break.