Long-term Sheffield Wednesday absentee back in training ahead of schedule

Owls defender Dominic Iorfa has been out since the start of December with a muscle issue, missing 15 matches along the way across all competitions. He had been a key man for then new-manager Danny Röhl up until he suffered the problem early on in the Owls' home win over Blackburn Rovers, playing every minute under the German up until that point either as a centre-half or on the right side of defence.

Initial indications were that Iorfa would only be able to return to training in March and while that may still be the case when it comes to match action should Wednesday choose to take a very slow-and-steady approach, there are high hopes he'll be ready to play a part in the final weeks end of the season after he was included in their EFL registration list last week.

"Dom is going step-by-step," Röhl told The Star. "He has started to train with the team, which is a good sign, but after the big injury it is about paying attention. Sometimes as a manager you want to get him immediately in, but it is about going step by step. It is a good signal for us."

Röhl was speaking after Wednesday's 2-0 win over Birmingham City at Hillsborough on Friday evening, a result that served to deliver their second clean sheet in seven and showed the squad's resolve in claiming a deserved shutout after conceding four in each of their previous two outings.

"It is a good feeling, it is a good feeling for the whole group," the Owls boss said on their clean sheet. "To score and to not concede a goal is a massive step because it means we were good in both boxes. It is a big step today, but it is just today, just three points. We do not get 10 points for this win and it means we must do it again and again until the end of the season."