Unknown Sheffield Wednesday midfield roulette winner must step up to repay Moore loyalty in continued Byers absence

Because, as the reporter – BBC Sheffield’s Rob Staton if you’re interested – very fairly spelled out, theirs were only two of 10 or 11 Sheffield Wednesday performances on Sunday that scored low in quality, energy and the ability to impact a game that needed shaking up.

Moore sidestepped the question masterfully of course. So as to avoid any question of heat on individuals, only the group as a whole would receive public criticism. And fair enough; Adeniran and Bakinson were no worse than anyone else on the day – the issue was that on a day that needed them to be, they were no better either.

The midfield pair can probably fairly count themselves as a touch unlucky in how their season has gone. The midfield three of Bannan, Byers and Vaulks has formed rock-steady and has been the engine room for half a season unbeaten.

Brought in from the cold, they’re being asked to hit the ground running on a campaign they’ve only watched for the most part.

Make no mistake the impact of Byers’ injury on their current wobble – especially when couple with that of Josh Windass up top.

But where Lee Gregory and Michael Smith are working themselves into the ground in the absence of other possible Windass stand-ins, none of Adeniran, Bakinson or Fisayo Dele-Bashiru have grabbed the opportunity left by Byers.

Three matches have come since Byers suffered a hamstring issue at Portsmouth. Three different midfield combinations have been pushed together from the start. Three matches have come and gone without a win.

Again, a sluggish midfield effort was once more just one of several issues at The New Lawn on Sunday and this column would seek to distance itself from any notion of ‘singling-out’ – as Moore has.

But the fact is though that in the heart of midfield against a side willing to sit back and see what you can do with the ball, the back-up trio buckled in auditioning for a more intense role in Wednesday’s title run-in. Whoever is afforded the next chance might as well be done on the spin of a roulette wheel.

There is no public indication of when Byers could return and Wednesday need whoever comes in to fill the void at Cheltenham Town to step up and grab the vacancy he’s left.

Moore was careful to ensure he didn’t leave them out to dry post-match. Loyalty needs rewarding. More importantly, Wednesday need more from the third wheel in their midfield.

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