Continued absence of 28-appearance Sheffield Wednesday man not seen since moment of madness explained

Ashley Fletcher, on loan from the club from fellow Championship outfit Watford, has not featured for the club since he was sent off late on in their 2-0 win at Millwall on February 17. He has not made a matchday squad since, meaning he has sat out of four consecutive matches altogether since his one-match suspension for his dismissal at The Den was served.

The 28-year-old was a regular in the Owls side in the first half of the campaign, making 28 appearances across all competitions. The signing of Ike Ugbo as well as the emergence of teenager Bailey Cadamarteri have pushed him further down the pecking order, with Michael Smith offering effective substitute appearances from the bench. A system change has been enabled by the signing of Ian Poveda, with two strikers seldom used in tandem.

Asked about Fletcher's absence as a point of clarification, Wednesday manager Röhl confirmed that he had not suffered an injury, rather that he had been left out due to the weight of options available to him.

"I can just name 20 players," Röhl told The Star. "This is the reason. When everybody is available you have to decide and you have some positions that are tough. We have had two strikers on the bench and you cannot take a third one because of the other positions where you need back-up."