Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl has revealed that he is optimistic about having Di’Shon Bernard and Ian Poveda back in the squad before the end of the season.
The Owls are fighting for their lives at the bottom of the Championship, and they squandered a major opportunity to climb out of the relegation zone over the weekend when Luke Cundle’s equaliser in the closing quarter of an hour earned Stoke City a point at Hillsborough.
Nonetheless, Rohl’s men are still in the survival race, as they are only one point behind the dotted line with three big games left against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park, promotion hopefuls West Bromwich Albion at home, and Sunderland at Stadium of Light.
The 34-year-old has done a fine job in South Yorkshire since taking over from Xisco Munoz in October, but it may not be enough to lead Sheffield Wednesday to safety if they lose their final three games of the season.
However, the Owls’ survival chances have been strengthened by his announcement that he intends to have both Bernard and Poveda back before the end of the season on Wearside in early May.
Poveda has been away from the first-team squad due to a muscular injury, and there were concerns that he had played his final game for the club while on loan from Leeds United. Meanwhile, Bernard hasn’t appeared for the team since the end of March.
In his pre-match news conference ahead of Sunday’s encounter against Blackburn, Rohl also hinted that Bernard is closer to a comeback than Poveda [source: Sheffield Wednesday News]:
“Nearly the same team. Nobody returns at the moment.
“Hopefully he (Bernard) will be back before the end of the season. This is, of course, Di’Shon and Ian [Poveda]. We’ll see. Di’Shon, my hopes are high. Every day, we try to get him and Ian out on the grass. It could be beneficial to have both available.”
This is crucial for Sheffield Wednesday and a real boost to their chances of getting out of the dreaded drop zone, especially with Bernard potentially returning to the starting lineup, albeit this weekend’s trip to Lancashire may come a week too soon.
Staying in the Championship will be a huge ask for Rohl and his players, with some tough games ahead, but having one or two of their best players back in the squad will go a long way toward keeping them as a second-tier club after a disastrous start to the season.
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