Pierce Charles, Nathaniel Chalobah and Olaf Kobacki latest with Sheffield Wednesday comebacks lined-up
Sheffield Wednesday’s threadbare first team squad have the blessing of a match-less midweek heading into this weekend’s trip to Blackburn Rovers - all but one, anyway.
The rehabilitation of goalkeeper Pierce Charles will take a step up, with a Sheffield Wednesday XI’s Sheffield and Hallamshire Cup match with Stocksbridge Park Steels planned to act as a blessing of his own - his return to a football pitch.
The Northern Ireland stopper has been out since suffering a shoulder injury that required surgery back in August. A slow and steady period of behind-the-scenes recuperation has followed after which it is hoped the shoulder will be stronger for it. Should all go to plan, his scheduled return to the pitch this week will serve as a major milestone in the closing stages of his comeback to senior football, where loanee Ethan Horvath has deputised.
Elsewhere in the squad, Di’Shon Bernard was ruled out until February or March after he underwent a minor procedure to ease his knee troubles, but there is further reason to be optimistic on the return of other players.
Midfield man Nathaniel Chalobah has yet to feature since he scored in the opening day defeat at Leicester City but had been pictured in training and it is hoped he will be able to return to contention in the short term. The former West Brom man is training with the team in passing exercises and in technical drills and will be staged-up in the coming days and weeks.
Attacker Olaf Kobacki is in a similar process having made a tentative return to some training, though he is a little behind Chalobah in terms of timescale, having sat out since the middle of September. Young forward George Brown been out since mid-October and is scheduled to make a return in two or three weeks depending on how his recovery continues.
The prompt return of Charles would serve as a major boost to Wednesday, who were this week were confirmed to have been slapped with a six-point deduction to make their chances of survival even less likely. Horvath was brought in on special dispensation terms in the days following the youngster’s injury. The terms of the loan are different to that of Joe Lumley, who was brought in on a short-term emergency loan that decreed he had to start the two matches he was at the club for.