Sheffield Wednesday could get 'blessing in disguise' in next 24 hours | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday fans should have more clarity surrounding international call-ups tomorrow

Sheffield Wednesday should be given clarity on the possible postponement of their League One fixture against Cambridge United on October 3, when the remaining national teams are announced tomorrow.

The first international window is edging closer and closer, with sides in the Championship set for a three-week break after a hectic opening schedule.

But some clubs in League One are still in limbo over the postponement of their fixtures, as they wait to see whether they have enough players out on international duty to request their game be played at a different time.

The likes of Leicester City, Luton Town and Stevenage, for example, have already seen their games over the two weeks following this weekend's fixtures postponed, and while Wednesday's game against Alex Revell's side has been impacted by that, they're still awaiting the news surrounding the following week's matchup at Hillsborough with Cambridge.

The EFL international postponement rules that Sheffield Wednesday are keeping a close eye on

Action Images

Sheffield Wednesday's game with Stevenage, scheduled for September 26, has been postponed due to international call-ups in the Boro camp.

Currently, while the Owls have some players called up for international duty, not all of them count towards the quota needed to request a postponement.

For a game to be postponed in League One and League Two, clubs must have at least three players called up, but they must have been named in a matchday squad and have made an appearance before the 75th minute in either 50% of their first team games, or in four of the last five.

A pro rata basis applies for players who were signed late in the transfer window and who haven't been available for selection due to injury or suspension.

Additionally, if a club has both their first and second choice goalkeepers called up, that's enough grounds for a postponement. Wednesday won't need to worry about that affecting them, though.

When Sheffield Wednesday should learn more about the potential for their League One bout against Cambridge United being postponed

Action Images

Indeed, Kieran Morrison, Sean Fusire and Ali Al-Hamadi are the current three players called up for international duty in the Wednesday camp, but only Morrison and Al-Hamadi are definite when it comes to ticking a quota box.

Fusire's only appearance so far this season came in the EFL Cup first round, and even then, he's only in Zimbabwe's provisional squad.

Meanwhile, Al-Hamadi has featured off the bench in all four league games since making a late loan move, so he will likely fall on that pro-rata basis, while Northern Irishman Morrison has featured as a pre-75th-minute substitute or has started in all five League One outings.

There still needs to be one more call-up, though, and according to Joe Crann, Sheffield Wednesday should find out tomorrow if their game should be called off.

If Yan Valery's injury, which forced him off against Wigan Athletic, isn't serious, he should be called up for Tunisia, while Jamal Lowe's form could see him called up for Jamaica, after he made appearances in March last year, and Leeds United loanee Harry Gray would also meet criteria if called up for an England youth side.

If any of those three aren't available, Wednesday should have enough grounds for a postponement.

How Sheffield Wednesday fans reacted to Stevenage postponement news

Action Images

It's a common debate amongst League One fans about whether third-tier games should just not be included in international breaks.

Year by year, more international-level players are filtering down into the division, and youth stars from elite countries are being loaned out down there, leading to more than half of the games being postponed at a week or two's notice.

Fans prepare for games, especially ones away, long in advance, and while it can be wise to hold off knowing there's an international break alongside those games, the reality of it being rearranged to a Tuesday night during the winter isn't ideal.

"BOOOOO," one Wednesday fan commented in response to the Stevenage game being rearranged. "Got cold Tuesday night in feb all over this," another added, while a third stated, "Less than 2 weeks before the game? Nice."

That being said, quite a few Wednesday fans are welcoming the postponement, as it gives them a chance to get some players back from injury, or at least have their recoveries continue without missing games.

"Absolute blessing in disguise. Hopefully we get the other potential game postponed too so we can get some numbers back," one Owls fan commented, in the hope that the Cambridge game is cancelled, too. "Good. Another week, maybe 2 towards a fully fit squad," another said.

Wednesday will have to play their EFL Trophy fixtures against Salford City and Sunderland's under-21s in the meantime with a depleted squad, however, as the rules state that those games cannot be postponed.

But it looks likely that, after this weekend's battle at Hillsborough with Stockport County, Henrik Pedersen's side won't be in league action until a trip to Huddersfield Town on October 10.