Sheffield Wednesday's Liam Palmer close to huge Owls milestone - nears David Hirst on impressive list

Palmer is part of the furniture at Wednesday now having come through the academy and made it all the way up to the senior ranks, and the 30-year-old has played for 15 different managers during his time in the Owls first team.

Now, after starting his latest season at the club strongly, he's on the verge of not only reaching 350 games in the club’s colours, but also entering into their list of top 20 appearance-makers of all time.

But as much as he says it’s nice to reach numbers as an individual, he insists that the game at the University of Bolton Stadium is more about three points than anything else.

“It’s little milestones as you go, really…” he told The Star. “But it soon comes around, I’ll put it that way! It’s not something you keep track of while you’re playing - it’s just game by game - but it’s something that I’ll look back on with a lot of pride.

“If I am playing tomorrow though, getting the three points will help me more than hitting any numbers myself. It’s about getting back on track with our objective, and Bolton is the next opportunity to do that.

Should Palmer feature against Bolton this weekend, though, then he will be just eight games away from equalling David Hirst’s record of 258 appearances, and 12 away from going level with Des Walker on 362.

Depending on what happens this season, and how many games he plays, there’s also a possibility that he could become one of only 13 players to pass the 400-game mark - and he admits that he considers it an honour to be around names such as Hirst and Walker.

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"To be in that kind of company is obviously fantastic,” he said. “Every time I pull on this shirt it’s an honour for me. I’ve supported them from a young age, and to get up on that list would be great for me - it’s something that I am hoping to do - but I’ll keep playing it down.

“Because I’m still in full flow in terms of my age, and how I feel in myself. I feel as fit as I ever have, so I’m not looking to rest on any kind of laurels. I just want to keep playing as much as possible.”

Wednesday top appearance-maker of all time is star of the early 1900s, Andrew Wilson, with the Scottish international having played 546 games for the club over the course of two decades.

The player with the most post-war appearances for the Owls is Alan Finney with 504, followed closely by goalkeeper, Kevin Pressman, who played 478 matches for the club.

Wednesday face Bolton at 3pm on Saturday afternoon, and – given his recent performances – it seems likely that game number 350 is very much on the horizon for the club’s longest serving player at this point in time.

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