Sheffield Wednesday's FA Cup Plans Disrupted as Key Players Miss Training Due to Insurance Issues

THE NIGHTMARE is over at Sheffield Wednesday – but there is still a long way to go to get the Owls flying again.

Though a sprinkling of magic would provide the perfect ammunition for boss of what good times could lay ahead.

Henrik Pedersen has had just 12 players to work with this week at Sheffield WednesdayCredit: Getty

League One may be the next destination as the club continue to pick up the pieces following the disastrous .

have been in administration since late October and sit bottom of the Championship on minus seven points, having had 18 deducted this season. The first 12 came after the club filed for administration before a further six point penalty for the failure to pay players in March, May and June, as well as other non-payments to staff and HMRC.

But despite the woes, excitement is building again at Hillsborough after the three members of the consortium selected as the preferred bidder to buy them were revealed this week.

And Saturday’s opponents Brentford are the perfect example of what the ambitious trio hope to achieve in South Yorkshire and bring the club off its knees.

James Bord and Felix Romer lead the privately-funded group of investors that also counts Alsharif Faisal Bin Jamil, said to be a member of the Jordanian royal family, as its chief executive.

And in Bord, the founder of sports analytics business Short Circuit Science that has provided advanced modelling and decision support for a host of football clubs, supporters are beginning to dream again about a potential return to the top tier, a place the Premier League founder members have not been since 2000.

It may sound preposterous to some, but ex- pro poker player has worked under both Brentford owner Matthew Benham and Brighton chief Tony Bloom.

The pair each built their way to the promised land and have managed to stay aided by the use of data analytics tools. And after completing a takeover of Scottish outfit Dunfermline last year, he outlined his plan to use his AI and data analytics expertise to build a self-sufficient multiple club group courtesy of player trading.

And upon reading those remarks from Bord, who was also part of a US-based investment in Spanish club Cordoba and has a stake in Septemvri Sofia in Bulgaria, few would begrudge the loyal and long-suffering Owls from daring to hope again.

And Pedersen is no different. He said: “I have a big belief in the future of our fantastic football club. I’m sure it will be good when the takeover comes and we can really build this football club up to where we want to be.”

But while that takeover waits to get rubber-stamped, Pedersen still has tricky waters to navigate. And, despite their league status being all-but sealed, the FA Cup does provide some respite. Though it remains to be seen exactly what sort of team he will be able to field against the high-flying Bees, who have Brazilian hotshot Igor Thiago in their attack.

Pedersen, who saw 16 players leave last summer and brought just two in, has now been rocked by a hamstring injury to 19-year-old striker George Brown and the loss of Dominic Iorfa to a groin problem.

The Dane, a forward for Bolton and Hull during his playing days, was only able to name five players over the age of 23 for Sunday’s defeat at QPR, making it 19 games without a league win.

Barry Bannan has captained the Owls throughout the whole ordealCredit: Reuters

Preparations for Brentford were also hit by this week’s big freeze. He explained: “The training pitches have been frozen, so we were on the artificial pitch. But some players are not allowed to play on there because of the insurance, others can’t play on there because of their bodies. So it was a small group. Thursday we trained at the stadium so we could be on grass as part of our preparation. We now have a smaller squad than we had for QPR.”

Golden oldies skipper Barry Bannan, 36, and Jamal Lowe, 31, are expected to be called upon again to lead the youngsters into cup action.

And Pedersen has promised supporters that his depleted squad are desperate to reward them with some cup cheer.

He added: “I promise we will do everything to do it. Of course it’s a great opponent, but we will do all we can and we’ll prepare ourselves in the best possible way to make the best possible performance. And then see how far it goes, but of course it is a dream to make a surprise here.

“I don’t know what is deserved and not deserved, but I promise we’ll do all we can. We need a little bit of luck also. But it’s a big game for the boys, for the club, and we’ll do everything we can to compete.”