Sheffield Wednesday: No plan to stifle in-form Callum Paterson as ban threat looms

The Scotland international, well-known for his rough-and-tumble style of play in all manner of positions, has picked up yellow cards in his last three matches for the Owls.

EFL rules mean he has to avoid a similar fate in Wednesday’s next two outings – against Cambridge United and Accrington Stanley – or face a two-match sit-out period having racked up 10 bookings.

The good news for Paterson is that the slate is effectively cleaned after a club has played 37 matches in the league season.

Frustratingly, two of his latest bookings were accrued in the stoppage time of matches Wednesday were winning by at least two goals, while his latest in the weekend’s defeat at Lincoln City saw him carded for an off-the-ball incident with countryman Conor McGrandles.

Despite the avoidable nature of these incidents, Owls boss Darren Moore backed the Scotland international and maintained he would never ask him to ‘rein in’ his all-action playing style after a run of matches that has seen him at his nuisance best.

“I want him to carry on the same,” Moore told The Star without hesitation before praising his effort in the Lincoln clash. “You don’t want to take that away from him.

“I didn’t know that [that he is one card from a ban], but OK. We’ll get on with it. We’ve got Lee Gregory back, Sylla Sow, Flo Kamberi, so if it is that he is suspended we have to get on with it.

“I would never want to dampen him from where he’s been at because he’s in good form. Up until now he’d scored three in three.”

No Wednesday player has committed more fouls than Paterson’s 48 in League One football this season and though he is fast approaching 350 first team matches, the versatile 27-year-old has only been sent off twice in that time and neither for two bookable offences.

No other Owls player is in danger of receiving a ban by virtue of the 37-match mark rule. Barry Bannan is the player next on the yellow card list with seven.