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Cricinfo previews the double header on day four of the Champions League Twenty20

Cricinfo staff10-Oct-2009Group BNew South Wales v Sussex, DelhiStart time: October 11, 10.30 GMT
After his success in the IPL, Piyush Chawla turns out for Sussex•AFPNew South Wales kicked off their Champions League Twenty20 campaign on a high, with a comprehensive win over Eagles in Delhi. Sussex play their first game of the competition on Sunday, and if the pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla behaves in a manner similar to Friday, where the bounce as uneven, turn was plenty and the ball didn’t come on, NSW, with their expert adaptation to the conditions, start favourites. Sussex were champions at the Twenty20 Cup in England this summer, and have a side that rely heavily on allrounders. Dwayne Smith, Yasir Arafat, captain Michael Yardy, Rory Hamilton-Brown and Luke Wright provide plenty of ammunition to the team with both bat and ball, and NSW might well be in for a challenge.Watch out for
The Sussex medium-pacers, of whom there are a few, will aim to emulate NSW and Victoria in their respective games in Delhi where they maintained a tight line, exploited the low bounce, and played a critical role in shutting out the opposition.Piyush Chawla’s Twenty20 record is impressive with an economy rate of 7.33 and a strike-rate of 18.4; his variations should test the NSW batsmen.Simon Katich led by example against the Eagles, opting for patience over aggression on a difficult pitch and took his team to a match-winning score. Add to that experience of Stuart Clark and the all-round skills of Moises Henriques, andNSW have enough talent to bank on to make it two in two.Group DDelhi Daredevils v Wayamba, DelhiStart time: October 11, 14.30 GMT
Like for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils’ first game didn’t go to plan and they are left needing to hit their stride against Sri Lanka’s champions Wayamba to stay in the tournament. Their batting is studded with fearsome Twenty20 hitters, but it was blunted by the accurate Victoria seamers and the slow-and-low pitch. Already without AB de Villiers, Paul Collingwood and Daniel Vettori, they could also lose Mithun Manhas after he pulled a hamstring during the first game. On Sunday, they are up against opponents who have 11 players with international experience in their squad.Mahela Jayawardene is the biggest name in the Wayamba squad but their strength is likely to be their bowling. Isuru Udana was the best bowler in Sri Lanka’s domestic tournament, Ishara Amerasinghe adds firepower to the pace department, and Ajantha Mendis and a much-improved Rangana Herath provide spin options. They also have Farveez Maharoof, who will use this tournament to try re-capture the allrounder’s spot in the Sri Lankan team from Angelo Mathews.Watch out for:
Virender Sehwag: After a long injury lay-off, Sehwag showed signs of being back at his murderous best, clubbing four fours in a 15-ball 21 against Victoria. An hour of Sehwag in full flow is just what the Delhi crowd want.Farveez Maharoof had a great first IPL season with Delhi but didn’t much of a look-in this year. What better stage could he ask to prove his point to the Delhi brains trust? Also, his knowledge of the Delhi pitch and the squad could prove quite useful.

Southampton managed to secure their second Premier League win of the season with a 1-0 victory over Watford last weekend, putting them in a good place to take on their next opponents Aston Villa.

Having lost their four previous league games in a row, Villa now sit 15th in the table with 10 points, one place and one point behind the Saints, who welcome Dean Smith’s side to St Mary’s tonight.

On the chalkboard

In terms of who Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl could pick in his starting XI, one player who we think should definitely be in the running for a place is Kyle Walker-Peters, who is currently earning a weekly wage of just over £23k-per-week according to Spotrac.

Last season saw the defender play in 30 of Southampton’s 38 Premier League games in the right-back position. However, he has played in six of their opening 10 league games of the current campaign as a left-back in order to make way for Valentino Livramento, who has played in every league game for the Saints at right-back.

In his previous game for the Saints, the 1-0 win over Watford at Vicarage Road, Walker-Peters played at left-back once again, blocking one shot and making four clearances, with one coming off Southampton’s goal line, and winning five duels. He showed how much of a defensive asset he is for the team and why he could be crucial tonight against a Villa team who will undoubtedly be looking to secure a much-needed win by attacking the Saints as much as possible.

In addition to his defensive capabilities, the 24-year-old completed 36 out of his 40 passes against Watford, including one accurate cross, one long ball and two key passes, creating one big chance for his side and completing two successful dribbles. This shows that he is a very capable attacking threat on the left flank, which would potentially frighten Villa’s defensive players considering how they conceded four goals in their previous league match against West Ham United last weekend.

This performance earned the full-back, who is currently valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, an overall match rating of 8/10, making him the highest-rated player on the day according to SofaScore. He has also been called a “very strong” left-back by Hasenhuttl, duly highlighting why we feel he should keep his place in the team against Villa tonight.

In other news: Bye-bye Forster: Ralph could save Southampton millions with “confident” 20 y/o beast

John Wright, a prominent name doing the rounds for New Zealand’s next coach, will work with the national side briefly ahead of the first Test against Pakistan

Cricinfo staff20-Nov-2009John Wright, a prominent name doing the rounds for New Zealand’s next coach, will work with the national side briefly ahead of the first Test against Pakistan. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Justin Vaughan said that Wright, currently with the Invitation XI playing the touring Pakistanis in Queenstown, would pop in to be with the side.”But there is nothing more to be read into it than that,” Vaughan was quoted as saying by the . “He will be there helping out and before the game begins he will be heading off to continue his elite coaching work.”Wright had done a similar stint with New Zealand last year when West Indies played in Dunedin.Vaughan said that NZC had spoken to the internationals to have returned from the limited-overs fixtures against Pakistan in the UAE ahead of zeroing in on a coach. “What was gratifying was that the feedback from the tour was resoundingly positive, which gave me a sense of assurance that we did not need to rush our decision,” he said.Vaughan was hopeful of deciding on a replacement by February, when Bangladesh visit ahead of Australia. “It is a matter of looking twofold, assessing what the team’s needs are under the current environment and also what is sustainable into the future,” he said.

An update has emerged on Newcastle gem Joe White regarding interest from Glasgow giants Rangers…

What’s the talk?

According to The Chronicle, the Gers and their city rivals Celtic are both weighing up a swoop for the teenage midfielder, along with unnamed clubs from the Premier League and Bundesliga.

The report claims that he is out of contract at the end of the season and can be spoken to from January onwards by clubs from outside of England.

Davis 2.0

Ross Wilson must secure a deal to sign White on a pre-contract agreement in January. With his deal expiring in 2022, the Gers will be able to secure a move in the winter window before officially bringing him in on a free transfer next summer, giving them the upper hand on any English clubs wanting to sign him.

Steven Davis is out of contract next summer and they could land his natural successor in White. The Northern Ireland international is a steady performer in the middle of the park, completing 88% of his passes this season and making 2.1 tackles and interceptions per game.

The 36-year-old is able to control the tempo of the game as Rangers’ midfield metronome and White could come in to fill a similar role. The teenager has completed 82% of his passes in the EFL Trophy this season and former Magpies boss Steve Bruce previously hailed his strength, claiming that the youngster has become ‘bigger and stronger’.

Bruce said: “He caught the eye, didn’t he? We brought him up about 18 months ago before Covid, and he quietly impressed us.

“And, all of a sudden, they grow all of a sudden, and find a yard of pace, and look bigger and stronger. And he’s certainly done that. Over the last couple of games in particular, I’ve been very, very pleased with what I’ve seen.

“Well done to him. The good thing is pre-season’s given me a chance to see him in a game. He can be really pleased with himself. He catches everybody’s eye with his strength, physicality – and the way he handles the ball.”

These comments from Bruce suggest that White could also have the ability and strength on the ball to control the midfield and be the Davis-esque metronome that Rangers need in the middle of the park. Of course, he would need to show it at first team level, but it is a worthwhile gamble to take on a free transfer for a player who could be the club’s replacement for the Northern Ireland veteran in the long-term.

AND in other news, Talks underway: Major Rangers development emerges on 46 y/o which will leave fans excited…

A round-up of the second day’s play of the first-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2009-10

Cricinfo staff04-Nov-2009Group B

Scorecard
After Manish Pandey on day one, it was the turn of another youngster, Abhmanyu Mithun, to shine in the Karnataka-Uttar Pradesh match in Meerut. Pandey failed to add to his overnight 194, kick-starting a collapse that took Karnataka from 372 for 5 to 405 all out, but Mithun claimed a five-for on debut to put Karnataka within two wickets of a first-innings lead, and another good bowling effort of an outright win.Shalabh Srivastava took three of the Karnataka wickets to fall this morning, including Pandey’s. Bhuvneshwar Kumar managed the other two. The decisive spell of the day, though, came from the 20-year-old right-arm medium-pacer Mithun, who dismissed Tanmay Srivastava and Mohammad Kaif in the same over. Kaif scored a three-ball duck. Mithun peppered the UP batsmen with bouncers, and they found his pace and ability to get the ball to jump from a length hard to handle. At 157 for 8, Amir Khan and Praveen Gupta then applied themselves and took UP to stumps without further damage. They still need 42 to avoid the follow-on, and are facing an uphill struggle to draw the match with two days to go.
Scorecard
Shikhar Dhawan scored his maiden first-class double-century as Delhi continued to pile on the runs against a weakened Baroda attack. Already missing Irfan Pathan, Baroda had to do without the services of Salim Veragi, their opening bowler who was called twice for a suspect action. To add to Baroda’s woes, left-arm spinner Rajesh Pawar was also no-balled for his action, increasing the burden on Yusuf Pathan, who sent down a mammoth 46.4 overs.Resuming on his overnight 122, Dhawan shared two fruitful partnerships with Mayank Tehlan and Yogesh Nagar. After Delhi lost a well-settled Rajat Bhatia in just the second over of the day, Dhawan found a good partner in Tehlan. The two added 119 for the fourth wicket. Dhawan then added 73 with Nagar, and finally fell with the score at 500. His 224 included 23 fours and two sixes. Delhi lost the next five wickets for 91. In reply the Baroda openers, Connor Williams and Satyajit Parab, saw out the always-uncomfortable spell of nine overs before stumps without loss.
Scorecard
Abhishek Jhunjhunwala made a welcome return to the official fold, and along with his friend and co-mainstay of Bengal batting two years ago, Manoj Tiwary, took his team to a big first-innings lead over Maharashtra. In reply to Maharashtra’s 179, Bengal started the day at 52 for 2 but lost Wriddhiman Saha early. But even as wickets kept falling at regular intervals, Tiwary took Bengal past Maharashtra’s total.After Tiwary’s fall, Jhunjhunwala batted aggressively, and despite little contribution from the tail took Bengal’s total over 300. The last four wickets added 104 runs, but only 21 of those came from the tailenders. Jhunjhunwala was the last man out, falling five short of his century. Maharashtra got off to a steady start in their second innings, but still had a long way to go to salvage one point from the match.Group A

Scorecard
Mumbai and Punjab were locked in an interesting fight for first-innings ascendancy in Chandigarh. Having restricted Punjab to 259, Mumbai rode on Sahil Kukreja’s 90, but their three other big names failed to get going. A fighting half-century from Abhishek Nayar took Mumbai close to the mark, but they were still 15 runs short with three wickets in hand.It was Love Ablish’s opening burst that ripped through the vaunted Mumbai line-up. The intimidating top-order trio of Wasim Jaffer, Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma were back in the pavilion with the score at 65; Jaffer inside-edged an indipper onto the stumps, Rahane nicked an outswinger to the keeper and Rohit edged a wide one to gully. Kukreja and Nayar then added 115 for the fourth wicket, but Kukreja’s wicket – again to Ablish – started a regular loss of wickets. The next three fell for 48 runs, including Nayar, and gave Punjab a look-in. Omkar Khanvilkar and Ramesh Powar, though, played the day out cautiously, adding an unbeaten 16 runs in 11.4 overs and setting up a crucial first hour of play on the third day.
Scorecard
Tamil Nadu found an unlikely bowling hero at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi: Abhinav Mukund had bowled only two overs in first-class cricket before today, but took three wickets for five runs to dramatically end Railways’ innings. Railways started the day at 242 for 4, and reached 274 without any further loss but then the collapse started. C Ganapathy removed Sanjib Sanyal and Mahesh Rawat in two deliveries before Mukund got into the action. Sanjay Bangar, who started the day on 111, was left stranded on 163. Mukund will be on a hat-trick in the second innings: he dismissed Nos 10 and 11 off consecutive deliveries.Mukund’s day with the bat wasn’t as great, as he was run out for a duck in the first over. M Vijay, though, held the Tamil Nadu batting together, finishing the day on an unbeaten and patient 65. Along with Arun Karthik he added 83 quick runs for the second wicket in what was among the best passages of play in the day for Tamil Nadu, but Karthik missed his fifty by three runs. S Badrinath gave Vijay good company and was unbeaten on 33, which included a couple of straight sixes off Murali Kartik. 192 (Behera 78) by 82 runs
Scorecard
Gujarat’s pace bowlers shared two wickets apiece to bowl Orissa out for 192, securing a healthy first-innings lead of 78. In the first session, Gujarat could add only 43 to their overnight 237 for 7.Siddharth Trivedi took out SS Das in the first over, starting a slide that Orissa would never really recover from. Debutant Mehul Patel and Ashraf Makda then dealt the top order a blow each. Brief resistance came from Niranjan Behera and Pravanjan Mullick, who added 55 for the fifth wicket to take the score to 100. Once Trivedi dismissed Mullick another slide started, reducing Orissa to 135 for 7. A 56-run eighth-wicket stand between Behera and Debasis Mohanty never threatened the first-innings lead, but made sure Gujarat would have to work hard for an outright win. Behera fell to the legspin of Timil Patel for 78.
Scorecard
MP Arjun got his first first-class half-century, and his valuable runs down the order took Hyderabad to a fighting total. In reply Himachal recovered from a ditch of their own through an unbeaten 91-run fourth-wicket stand between Paras Dogra and Ajay Mannu.Hyderabad began the day at 237 for 6, but lost overnight half-centurion Abhinav Kumar for an addition of 10 runs to that score. Arjun then added 31 and 44 for eighth and ninth wickets and carried Hyderabad past 300. Vikramjeet Malik got both the half-centurions’ wickets, and ended with four.Alfred Absolem and Pragyan Ojha then took three early wickets, but Dogra and Mannu thwarted Hyderabad’s charge, setting up an interesting tussle for first-innings points on day three.

Manchester United have not contacted former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane over possibly replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

And, as to be expected, a number of United fans have been reacting to the update on social media.

Rumours emerged in recent days from Duncan Castles of The Times claiming United have stepped up their attempts to lure the Frenchman to Old Trafford.

The Red Devils hierarchy are reportedly ‘hopeful’ that his close relationships with Cristiano Ronaldo and Raphael Varane can help to convince him to join, however, Romano has a different take.

He claimed that United are yet to contact Zidane, who is enjoying his private life and isn’t desperate to work again during the current campaign without a pre-season under his belt.

This is of course not the news fans wanted to hear, given the former Real Madrid boss won a remarkable two league titles and three Champions Leagues during his time in the Spanish capital.

United fans react

@utdreport shared Romano’s update on Zidane on Twitter on Sunday lunchtime.

This is what these United fans had to say in reply, with many making their views known.

“Fabrizio hype. Di Marzio is the only Italian journo we trust these days soz”

Credit: @LaPiochey

“Make it happen @Cristiano”

Credit: @lenh0ff

“I knew it. We are getting Rodgers.”

Credit: @andromedaUtd

“All I know is pain”

Credit: @LethuTheLegend

“Ah sigh we can never have good things”

Credit: @UTDTrey

“Fabrizio is behind the curve he’s tier 5 these days”

Credit: @OIeOutNow

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been handed a major boost regarding the recovery of Bruno Jordao.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments made on the E&S Wolves Podcast (via This Is Futbol), the Express & Star journalist, Liam Keen, revealed that the central midfielder, who has not featured competitively for Wolves since July 2020, has finally returned to the grass at the Sir Jack Hayward Training Ground, as the 23-year-old continues with his recovery from a long-term knee injury.

Speaking about the current condition of Jordao, Keen said: “Jordao is back on the grass now, which is good. I don’t think he’s quite in team training… but that’s one I’ll double-check. He’s definitely on the grass, so he’s getting closer.”

Fans will be buzzing

Having made a grand total of just four first-team appearances since his £8.01m move to Molineux back in the summer of 2019, the news that Jordao is finally nearing a return from injury is sure to have left Wolves fans buzzing.

Indeed, the former Portugal U21 international has made more appearances for the club’s U23 side than he has for the first team thus far in his spell with the Premier League club, and, considering how short Bruno Lage currently is in the middle of the park, the 23-year-old’s return cannot come quick enough.

At present, the 45-year-old Wolves boss is limited to the options of Ruben Neves, Leander Dendoncker and Joao Moutinho in central midfield. However, with none of these three players being particularly attack-minded, the Portuguese manager has suffered from a significant lack of creativity in the heart of his side – with the trio having scored one goal and registered one assist between them in the league so far this season.

And, while Jordao is not exactly an out and out attacking midfielder, the £41k-per-week man’s return of one goal over his four first-team appearances for Wolves nevertheless means his return will be a major boost for Lage, especially with the hectic Christmas period soon upon us.

In other news: Shi must seal dream Wolves deal for £25k-p/w dynamo who can “make people look silly”

A round-up of the fourth day’s action from the seventh round of the Ranji Trophy Super League

Cricinfo staff18-Dec-2009Group B
Scorecard
Ashok Thakur took six wickets for Himachal Pradesh•ESPNcricinfo LtdKarnataka continued their domination of the league phase with a resounding victory over Saurashtra. Set 241 to win, they knocked off the runs in 52.2 overs to finish on 28 points, 10 clear of the second-placed Uttar Pradesh. It was half-centuries from their young batsmen, G Satish and Manish Pandey, that steered Karnataka to their fourth win of the season. Captain Robin Uthappa gave the chase a cracking start, slamming nine fours in a 36-ball 47, after which Satish and Pandey took over. Satish dropped anchor while Pandey was more adventurous during their 126-run stand that nearly took Karnataka to the finish line. It ends a dismal season for Saurashtra, who end with a paltry seven points after reaching the semi-finals in the previous two seasons.
Scorecard
Expectedly, the game between Delhi and Bengal petered out to a dull draw. After Delhi’s first innings came to an end at 378 – Puneet Bisht remaining unbeaten on 128 – Bengal helped themselves to some batting practice. The Bengal openers piled on 187, with Arindam Das going on to a breezy century but his partner Rohan Banerjee was run out on 77. Das also retired hurt after the run out, and Bengal extended their score to 223 before the game was called off. Delhi made it to the quarter-finals by one point, where they will take on a strong Tamil Nadu.
Scorecard
Baroda completed a straightforward win over Maharashtra, but will be ruing their inability to chase down 101 without losing a wicket. Had they managed that, they would have made the quarter-finals ahead of Delhi but the loss of the bonus point means they finish in fourth place. Baroda only took 25 overs on the day to reach the target, thanks largely to Kedar Devdhar’s unbeaten half-century. There was a bit of a hiccup for Baroda when legspinner Digambhar Waghmare struck twice in an over, but Maharashtra had little else to celebrate on a day when they were relegated to the Plate League.Group A
Scorecard
In a tame draw at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, C Ganapathy made his second century in two games to power Tamil Nadu to a massive 785 against Hyderabad. There was no respite for the home side’s bowlers after Tamil Nadu resumed on 594 for 6, with Ganapathy receiving solid support from tailenders R Ashwin and R Jesuraj. Hyderabad’s Abhinav Kumar helped himself to one of the easiest centuries of the season, blasting the part-timers – S Badrinath, Abhinav Mukund, S Anirudha and Dinesh Karthik – Tamil Nadu used for the 27 overs that remained. Tamil Nadu finish on top of the table and now face Delhi in the quarter-finals, while Hyderabad were relegated to the Plate League for the first time.
Scorecard
In one of the most exciting matches of the round, Himachal Pradesh came within two wickets of pulling off a dramatic victory over Orissa. Overnight batsman Vinit Indulkar made 28 more before being dismissed on 165 and in No. 10 Vikramjeet Malik’s company helped stretched HP’s second innings score to 486. That left Orissa needing 296 to win, but thoughts of victory were quickly abandoned after their top order folded to the pace of Ashok Thakur. From 11 for 3 it was a question of escaping with a draw, and first-innings hero Halhadar Das nearly saved them by resisting for more than three hours for a 47. However, he was the eighth man out with 15 deliveries remaining; the tailenders didn’t look to play safe after that, thrashing 16 runs in those deliveries, but managed to stave off defeat.
Scorecard
Gujarat’s plucky chase of Mumbai’s huge first-innings total fizzled on the third day, with their lower order folding meekly. Once they were bowled out for 502, giving Mumbai the first-innings points, the match rambled towards a draw. Both Mumbai openers, Sahil Kukreja and Sushant Marathe, raced to 80s but fell short of reaching a century in the inconsequential second innings. Despite not having the most convincing of seasons, Mumbai are through to the quarter-finals where they clash with Harayana.
Scorecard
With little to play for after Punjab took the first-innings lead on the third day, Railways crawled to 230 for 4 off 86 overs in their second innings on Friday before the match was called off. Sanjay Bangar took nearly six hours to reach an unbeaten 115, his 12th first-class century. His strike-rate of 43.72 was the quickest of the Railways batsmen. The other Railways player to make a contribution was Harshad Rawle, who laboured to 40 off 138 deliveries.Group A

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts Quotient For Against

Tamil Nadu 7 2 0 0 50 26 1.484 4166/86 3198/98 Punjab 7 2 1 04 0 19 1.018 3071/102 3166/107 Mumbai 7 1 0 06 0 19 1.646 3343/60 3521/104 Railways 7 1 0 06 0 14 1.223 3292/89 2057/68 Orissa 7 0 1 06 0 12 0.857 2662/93 3305/99 Himachal Pradesh 7 1 3 03 0 10 0.875 2777/116 3148/115 Gujarat 7 1 3 03 0 10 0.770 3236/110 3055/80 Hyderabad (India) 7 0 0 07 0 7 0.624 2946/104 4043/89

Group B

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts Quotient For Against

Karnataka 6 4 0 02 0 28 1.911 3314/68 2933/115 Uttar Pradesh 6 2 1 03 0 18 1.030 2755/91 3144/107 Delhi 6 2 1 03 0 16 1.013 2989/80 3318/90 Baroda 6 2 1 03 0 15 1.067 3040/97 2379/81 Bengal 6 1 1 04 0 11 0.952 2963/83 3112/83 Saurashtra 6 0 3 03 0 7 0.973 3045/87 3023/84 Maharashtra 6 0 4 02 0 4 0.494 3026/114 3223/60

Michael Hussey used Shane Warne’s criticism of his batting to drive him to the match-winning century against Pakistan in Sydney

Cricinfo staff10-Jan-2010Michael Hussey used Shane Warne’s criticism of his batting to drive him to the match-winning century against Pakistan in Sydney. Hussey, who stole the game with his unbeaten hundred in the second innings, had heard the calls for his sacking towards the end of the West Indies series before fighting back with 82, 4, 28 and 134 not out in the past two matches.”It’s hard when someone of the ilk of Shane Warne is criticising you, because he’s obviously played a lot of cricket and he knows his stuff pretty well,” Hussey said in the . “So it was pretty motivating to try to prove him wrong.”Warne has since downgraded his stance and Hussey said it was great to show up the critics. “Just to prove to him and to everyone that I still can play at Test match level, it’s the most satisfying feeling you can get, especially after you copped a lot of criticism over the course of the summer,” he said.Hussey put on 123 with Peter Siddle for the ninth wicket to give Australia a 175-run lead and the 2-0 series success was sealed when Pakistan were dismissed for 139. Despite the century, which was his first at home in two years, Hussey said he would have to continue to perform consistently to stay on track for next summer’s Ashes.”While you’re enjoying the challenge of the battle of Test cricket and while you’re contributing, then I’d love to keep continuing as long as I could,” he said. “Certainly at the moment I still feel like I want that battle.”

After securing a 2-1 victory over MK Dons in midweek thanks to two late goals, Sheffield Wednesday are back in League One action this weekend with a clash against Wycombe Wanderers at Hillsborough.

Looking ahead to the match, it seems as though the Owls will have to take on their next opponents, who are currently three points and five points above them in the league table, without one of their key players.

What’s the news?

In a recent Q&A for Yorkshire Live, Wednesday journalist Dom Howson revealed that Owls manager Darren Moore said that Marvin Johnson will be back training on grass this week after picking up a hamstring injury.

However, the reporter thinks that Johnson will miss the match at the weekend and possibly their Papa John’s Trophy match against Hartlepool next week, something that represents a big blow to Wednesday.

Howson followed that up saying his hunch tells him Johnson will return for the Portsmouth match next month.

While it’s good to hear that Johnson will start to get back to some sort of training in the coming days, it’s still a disappointment that he will miss the match against Wycombe at the weekend given how much of an opportunity this is for the Yorkshire side to follow on from their win over MK Dons in midweek and pick up a win against a promotion rival.

Since joining the Owls on a free transfer back in August, the 30-year-old, who is currently valued at £1.35m according to Transfermarkt, has played in 16 games for the Owls across all competitions, scoring one goal and providing two assists in the process whilst showing off his versatility by playing across a number of different positions on the pitch.

In three out of four previous league appearances for the Owls, Johnson has been deployed as a centre-back as a result of the current injuries to Sam Hutchinson, Lewis Gibson and Dominic Iorfa. Thus, having Johnson out on the sidelines again for the next couple of games is something that could leave the manager rather angry.

To highlight Johnson’s defensive capabilities, the Englishman has managed to rack up an average of 1.3 interceptions and clearances per game and 1.2 tackles per game in League One, which will definitely make him a big miss for the clash at the weekend against Wycombe considering they have managed to score a total of 30 league goals so far this season.

Moving forward, everyone at Wednesday will undoubtedly be hoping that Johnson will be able to make a full recovery by the time their league match against Portsmouth come around as Howson suggested.

In other news: Moore could save SWFC’s season with £270k-rated tank, he’s a “fantastic communicator” – opinion