Sheffield Wednesday's 12-match unbeaten run in League One came to an end in catastrophic circumstances on Thursday evening as Sunderland ran riot against the Owls.

The Stadium of Light saw five goals go in but unfortunately for the travelling Yorkshire faithful they all went to Lee Johnson's side on a brutal evening in Wearside.

A Ross Stewart hat-trick condemned Wednesday to a first loss since October 2 in League One but they were hamstrung by an injury to Chey Dunkley in the first half, with the downfall coming soon afterwards.

 

 

 

 

Wednesday were missing a number of key players last night, including both Josh Windass and Sam Hutchinson.

Windass recently returned from a long-term hamstring injury and came off the bench against Crewe a few weeks ago, but he was absent entirely against the Black Cats, owing to a small muscle strain.

“Rather than him playing with these minor strains, we would rather get him back right," Moore told the Owls' official website.

“For Josh, it is not about getting him right for one or two games, it is about getting him back for 20-odd games in the second half of the season.

“He has a minor injury, he is so close but he has been out for so long that sometimes you pick up these little minor strains. It is all part and parcel of getting back into it.”

Hutchinson meanwhile has been on the sidelines since October when he was withdrawn at half-time against Bolton Wanderers, but his near-three month absence is almost coming to its conclusion.

“Hutchinson is back in training and just needs that level,” Moore said.

“We will continue to assess both Sam and Josh but they are very near.”

The Verdict

Getting Hutchinson back especially will be important for Moore, especially due to Chey Dunkley now suffering an injury.

Wednesday are so light at the back and adding Hutchinson into that mix will bring a bit more experience and calmness to proceedings, but he's always an injury risk.

Windass meanwhile has already scored a couple of times since his return from injury but after going under the knife in the summer, he needs to be managed very carefully with minor setbacks like this.

He's a key player for the club going forward in their push for promotion and if he's at risk of suffering even further then he will need some rest - it's not like Wednesday don't have plenty of other options going forward anyway.