Work goes on at Sheffield Wednesday despite coronavirus postponement of Burton Albion League One fixture

On Wednesday the Owls became the latest EFL club to have their Boxing Day fixture postponed. Home matches against Accrington Stanley and Burton Albion will now have to be rearranged.

But activity at the club has not screeched to a halt, with Darren Moore understandably keen to retain momentum heading into their next fixture.

Middlewood Road was reopened on Monday – to strictly players and vital staff only – and training has taken place all week, albeit in decimated numbers.

The Star understands that at one stage this week that as few as seven senior first team players were able to train, though numbers were beefed up with youngsters from the under-23 side, who would have been in line to make Sunday’s squad had circumstances made it necessary.

Though the dates different players returned positive tests are unknown, it is understood some are still within their mandatory 10-day isolation period and as of Tuesday evening were yet to return to training. The Boxing Day fixture was always likely to come too early for at least a small section of the squad.

It is believed once others passed through their isolation period and were passed fit they were able to join sessions later in the week and that training sessions were split into groups of two or more to allow for social distancing to take place.

Wednesday club doctor Richards Higgins is the chief medical advisor to the EFL and, as they were previously, all measures have been designed and implemented by him alongside Moore.

All players and staff continue to be subject to daily testing on arrival at Middlewood Road, which has retained strict sanitation and distancing procedures not only during training itself, but when it comes to the use of changing facilities and the canteen.

Players have been encouraged to take up their vaccines and boosters.

The club were always keen to communicate the postponement of the Boxing Day fixture and did so at the earliest possible opportunity as arrangements were made with Burton Albion and the EFL.

Wednesday’s next scheduled match date is the trip to Sunderland on December 30.

NB: Featured pic was taken earlier this year – NOT this week.