Unfamiliar face becoming more familiar - Wayne Jacobs' continued presence at Sheffield Wednesday explained

Boyhood Owl Wayne Jacobs, who played a handful of times for the club under Howard Wilkinson before moving onto a successful career with Hull City and Bradford City, has been a constant at matches since the first league match of the season at Charlton Athletic.

Jacobs is a former teammate and a close friend of Owls boss Darren Moore from their time together at Bradford. Another ex-colleague of Moore’s, Simon Ireland, was named first team coach last month.

Moore had previously suggested Jacobs was on board for a short time while he was on leave from work, though it now seems his presence may well continue.

Though he has no defined job, it seems he will replicate a relaxed advisory situation he performed during Moore’s time at Doncaster Rovers, rather than any official employment by Wednesday.

“He’s a really good friend of mine, he’s here now and he’s been watching training with me,” Moore said. “You’ll probably see him at more matches and it’s been great to have him here.

“Wayne has been coming in on his own free time, watching games. As we’ve said before, it’s something he’d done when I worked at one of my previous clubs, he did that freely.”

Pressed on whether Jacobs’ presence has been centred on coaching or analysis work, Moore reiterated that his old friend’s role has been on a more relaxed basis than anything defined.

“Neither really, nothing like that,” he said. “He’s come in as a good friend of mine and is just helping out in and around it.

“I’ve stuck a Sheffield Wednesday kit on him and that’s it really in terms of him being here.

“In terms of the coaching, he doesn’t do too much or the analysis. I just use him to bounce one or two things off generally about games.

“He knows me, I know him, he knows what I want and feel for a game. He’s been able to add some input into that, really.

“It’s been great having him around for the last few weeks and it’s been good for him. Any time he wants to come down to be at the club we’d like that.”