Sheffield Wednesday’s luckiest charm takes aim at the ‘promised land’ after Owls extension

The midfielder became a vital part of the Owls midfield under Darren Moore, his growing passion for the club spilling out more and more with every month that he remained, so it’s no surprise that the news of his recent extension has got Wednesdayites excited.

Sadly injury meant that Byers missed the last 12 games of the League One campaign, and it was no coincidence that – with both him and Josh Windass missing – the club’s form dipped, a dip that ultimately cost them automatic promotion.

Now, though, the midfielder is looking forward to his return to the Championship after victory at Wembley, and he’ll be looking to make sure his role as Wednesday’s lucky charm continues… Not a single player in the side with more than five appearances had a better win rate this season – an equivalent of 2.28 points per game including league and cup matches.

For Byers, who got nine goals and assists in his 29 games, he admits that it was tough sitting out a big chunk of the second half of the campaign – but revealed his relief that his teammates got the job done.

“It’s been an incredible couple of days,” the midfield man told The Star. “I’m so happy we got it over the line. 96 points without promotion is unheard of, and the fact we’ve had to do it the hard way - coming through the play-offs and winning at Wembley - is just incredible. It’s such a relief, not just for me, but for the entire club and fanbase.

“Hopefully we can push on now and get to where we want to be, which is the end goal - the promised land.

“I’ve been absolutely gutted the last 10 days or so after the semifinal. We got to Wembley and obviously I’m desperate to play. You don’t want to be injured, it’s the last thing I wanted, so it’s actually been pretty hard for me. Obviously there’s jubilation now though, getting to Wembley and winning it, it’s such a relief.”

Byers’ deal extension was confirmed on Friday, but he’s hoping for more contract talks as he seeks to commit his future to the club further.

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