Sam Hutchinson is 'on track' to trigger a clause in his contract that would extend his stay with Sheffield Wednesday.

The 31-year-old was an influential player for the Owls after initially joining in 2014, but he was released last summer when his previous deal expired.

After a brief, unsuccessful spell in Cyprus, the defensive midfielder re-signed for Wednesday in January, on a short-term deal.

And, Yorkshire Live reporter Dom Howson has confirmed that part of the contract would see an extension activated if Hutchinson made a certain amount of appearances, which he is on course to doing.

"I am led to believe that after Hutchinson plays a set number of matches it does automatically trigger a contract extension. I don't know what the exact number is but he must be on track to hit. He has played 11 on the spin since returning to the club."

New boss Darren Moore has handed Hutchinson starts in both his games, with successive defeats leaving Wednesday 23rd in the Championship and seven points from safety.

The verdict

Given Hutchinson's history with injuries, and Wednesday's relegation battle, it made sense to offer a short-term deal to Hutchinson which was based on appearances.

Howson's information suggests he is close to triggering the extension, which would make sense, and Hutchinson could still have an important role to play at Hillsborough next season if Moore wants.

Ultimately though, the only thing that the manager and player will be bothered about now is focusing on staying in the Championship.

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