Why injured Di'Shon Bernard insisted on attending Sheffield Wednesday cup win at Bolton Wanderers
The surprise appearance of Di’Shon Bernard in Sheffield Wednesday’s post-match celebrations at Bolton Wanderers acted as a pleasant bonus for Owls fans - many of whom will have not caught sight of him for several months.
The Jamaica international remains in the rehabilitation stage of a long comeback from a serious knee injury suffered in March and is not expected back in the coming weeks. Manager Henrik Pedersen said work on his comeback was going well but that he would not be back to playing for a ‘long time’ yet.
After goals from Gui Siqueira, Ike Ugbo and Reece Johnson earned a 3-3 draw that allowed them to win on penalties and elbow their way through to the Carabao Cup second round, Bernard was seen celebrating on the pitch with his teammates in front of a raucous away support - while taking extra care of his ailment.
It served as a pleasant surprise but left fans scratching their chins as to why he was there. Speaking to The Star after the game, Pedersen explained the 24-year-old had insisted on making the trip in order to lend his support to the likes of Ernie Weaver and Joe Emery, two young debutants named to play their first senior matches. Bernard was among the senior players seen having extended conversations with some of the delighted Wednesday youngsters post-match.
“Di'Shon asked to be here tonight because he wanted to be here for the young centre-backs,” Pedersen said. “He saw that we had three young centre-backs and he said he had to come to support. It is very, very positive that senior players choose to take on this responsibility and bring on the young guys.”
Pedersen went on to speak with huge pride on the performance not only of the young players involved in the victory at Bolton, but on the leadership and generosity shown by the more experienced individuals.
The youngsters involved had had the benefit of having spent time training with the senior Owls, with the nature of their threadbare squad having made it a necessity. A smiling Pedersen gave a glimpse into a ‘firm but fair’ approach to some training sessions when the standard dips.
He said: “They have trained a lot and I said to them before the game that 'Yes you are young, but you are ready for this challenge tonight'. They have trained a lot with Championship players in this pre-season and yes I am sometimes tough on the training pitch when they need the intensity, to compete with the senior players. But they were ready for the challenge. In a big part of the game they showed they were ready for the challenge.”