Dominic Iorfa’s dad wasn’t sure about his Sheffield Wednesday return last week…

‘Big Dom’ was back out on the field on Saturday as he made his return from a serious injury that led to surgery last year, and he managed to come through the game unscathed after playing his first 20 minutes of 2021.

The 26-year-old defender could prove to be a huge player for the Owls as they target an immediate return to the Championship, but it would appear that, if it was up to his dad - former Nigeria international, Dominic Iorfa Snr – then his return may only have come about tomorrow night against West Bromwich Albion.

When asked if there was a hurdle to get over facing the Tykes again, the Owls defender told The Star, “Not really, to be fair… Funnily enough, I was talking to my dad a few days ago and I told him that I was trying to push for me to play against Barnsley, and he was kind of against it, he was like, ‘You should wait until West Brom because you got injured against Barnsley’ – but for me I’m not really bothered.

“Injuries are part and parcel of the game, I’ve got no issues. I’ve done all the work in training behind the scenes, and I feel pretty confident stepping back onto the pitch. So yeah, I had no issues.

“With injury, it is what it is. It was a freak injury, to be fair. It’s not like I broke my leg – touch wood – in a bad challenge, it’s just one of those things. I went up for a header and I landed.”

And for any fans worried that the injury might hold him back, Iorfa says he’s still scoring high in the running tests and doesn’t feel like his injury will hold him back at all when he’s chasing down attackers in the season ahead.

He went on to add, “I feel fine, in terms of training. In the running tests that I’ve done my scores are still high and it’s not like I’ve lost my pace, but only time will tell because once you start going into games it’s different. I feel fine though, I still feel quick and don’t feel like I’ve lost any pace – but as I’ve said, we’ll see about that when the games start coming.”

There’s no doubt that Iorfa was badly missed for the Owls last season as he sat out the second half of the campaign due to his injury, and if they’re able to keep hold of him for the campaign ahead then he could be well in with a shout of being amongst the best defensive players in the division.

Iorfa was a second half substitute against Barnsley, and could well be given a few more minutes tomorrow afternoon when the Owls go up against Darren Moore’s former club, West Bromwich Albion, in a behind-closed-doors encounter at 2pm.

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