The Owls hosted Plymouth Argyle on Saturday in Dave Challinor’s first home league game

Di’Shon Bernard’s wonder goal against Plymouth Argyle is part of a plan to bring him out of his ‘comfort zone’, Owls boss Dave Challinor explained.

In a memorable moment, the defender collected the ball just inside his own half before driving forward and firing in off the post from distance in front of the Kop to send Hillsborough wild and make it 3-0. The centre-back, who had been out for 19 months before returning earlier this season, was the last player to leave the pitch after the full-time whistle as he took the applause from Wednesday’s backroom staff before he went down the tunnel.

“Super pleased for him,” Challinor said. “Not just for the goal, we're asking him to do things a little bit outside of his comfort zone and leave him exposed a little bit to sort of step in with the ball and be positive and try and make forward passes. It's probably something he's not actually done for a while. So we are, like I said, exposing him a little bit. But we want him to be front-foot for and step in and continue to step in.

“When you're in a stadium, everyone shouts ‘shoot’, 29,000 of them probably don't expect what happened to happen. But for him to take the shot on and for it to take off the back of the net it was brilliant, an amazing moment for him.”

After completing 120 minutes against Oldham Athletic last weekend, Bernard played another 90 minutes against the Pilgrims, as his road to full fitness took another giant step forward.

Challinor added: “I spoke with him after Sunday about when you come back from injuries, you have to tick certain things off. Played 120 minutes against Oldham, he probably felt like a tin man on Monday. We probably feared the worst in terms of what the reaction might have been with his body, having been out for so long, so to tick that off, and then today to get a goal and be able to celebrate at that end with his teammates will do him the world of good.”