Sheffield Wednesday get major injury boost as Di'Shon Bernard makes first appearance in 19 months
Di’Shon Bernard made his first appearance since February 2025 on Sunday, turning out for Sheffield Wednesday’s Under-21s.
Sheffield Wednesday defender Di’Shon Bernard made his first appearance in 19 months on Sunday, starting for the Under-21s against Charlton Athletic at Hillsborough.
Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen confirmed on Friday, speaking to the media ahead of his side’s 0-0 draw with Wigan Athletic in League One on Saturday afternoon, that Bernard would make his highly anticipated return against the Addicks.
The former Manchester United defender, who joined Wednesday in July 2023, had been sidelined since February last year because of a serious knee injury that required more than one round of surgery.
Bernard’s road to recovery was not without its setbacks along the way. After it was originally hoped that he would be available during the latter stages of last summer’s pre-season, his return date was then pushed back to February, then March, and eventually into the early stages of this season.
As planned, the centre-back got 45 minutes under his belt, completing the first half. He partnered Ernie Weaver in the heart of the backline in what was a relatively strong Under-21s starting line-up that included the likes of Connal Trueman, Sean Fusire, Jaden Heskey and Will Grainger.
Bernard appeared to look comfortable and composed throughout, making an important block as Charlton looked to break into the left channel of the penalty area, while also proving comfortable in possession as Wednesday attempted to build from the back and play through the thirds.
He also carried the ball into midfield on a handful of occasions when space opened up in front of him. From there, Wednesday were able to progress the ball further up the pitch.
At the time of this story being published, it was half-time at Hillsborough, with the score 1-1 at the break.
Wednesday took the lead through Samuel Duruh’s composed finish with 13 minutes on the clock, before being pegged back just a few minutes later when Josh Edwards’ low cross found Ellis McMillan inside the penalty area, and he found the bottom corner.
Duruh was forced off right on the stroke of half-time, hobbling off after being caught in a strong challenge.