Why return of instant Sheffield Wednesday fan favourite is all the more impressive after 161-day battle

Because having done the hard, hard yards on his injury recovery, having spun the exercise bikes and pounded the treadmills, having edged his volume with the under-21s from 45 minutes to 70 to a full 90, it was in mid-December that in truth he was probably at his ultimate ‘fighting weight.’

A break in the under-21s fixture later and Famewo watched on from the bench as Reece James continued to make his position his own and as his side continued to chalk up the clean sheets on the road to a clean sheet record potentially now only a couple of matches away.

A substitute appearance in the drubbing of Cambridge United offered a pleasant moment and 14 valuable minutes in the legs, but it was his outing at Wycombe Wanderers – a first start for 161 days owing to a serious knee injury picked up on debut at MK Dons – that had been the goal.

And with the eyes of thousands lasered-in on him due to the departure of Mark McGuinness and the robust playing style of the home team, Famewo played like a man who had never been away.

Set to the tune of his very own fan chant, it was mightily impressive stuff that may well just have flickered a sense of relief through the club.

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“We spoke about the need for him to get the right volume in training and he’s been working extremely hard,” Owls boss Darren Moore said post-match. “He’s been waiting for this.

“He was so disappointed at MK Dons when he picked up his injury but we saw flashes even in that game what he can bring to us.

“He’s six-foot-two, he’s left-footed, hes young and athletic, he’s got aerial dominance, he’s got a pass in the locker as well but above all he’s a young boy that’s just desperate to learn as well.

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“He was so up for the game today in terms of coming on and making his own impact on the run of games that we’ve been on. He has shown composure and he has had to be gritty and determined.”