Why Izzy Brown and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru were in two Sheffield Wednesday squads this weekend…

Neither Brown nor Dele-Bashiru have had too much game time at Hillsborough this season, with Neil Thompson using them sparingly up to now since coming in to replace Tony Pulis as manager.

Likewise with Pulis, the duo didn’t get many minutes out on the field, but there does seem to be a ray of hope for the pair after Neil Thompson hinted that they’ll be needed.

‘Fizz’ scored a beauty for the U23s on Friday as the Owls fought back from being 2-1 down to win 3-2 against Barnsley, with the youngster and Brown getting 45 minutes each in the Professional Development League North fixture.

Speaking after the 1-0 defeat at Hillsborough on Saturday, ‘Thommo’ hinted that both players are in with a chance of forcing their way back in if they do the right things.

He told the media, “We’ve had a lot of games, we’ve got to look at everybody… Fisayo and Izzy had 45 minutes with the U23s, because they need football. They haven’t played a lot, and they both did well. I thought Fizz’s pace would give them an issue, and he’s got to grasp he’s got to grasp the nettle if he gets an opportunity, like anybody.”

Meanwhile, when asked about Josh Windass’ return to the starting XI, he explained, “He's had a bit of time where he hasn't played… He showed a lot of energy and like any of the boys, I think he'll get better with more games. But we want people to be firing as soon as they come in. That's difficult at times when people don't get loads of minutes.

“That's the reason why we gave the likes of Izzy and Fisayo some minutes with the U23s the other day… They need to be in good condition."

Next up for the Owls is a trip to Brentford on Wednesday night as they seek to get back to winning ways against a Bees side gunning for automatic promotion into the Premier League for next season.

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