"Play-off dream" - Bleak Sheffield Wednesday claim made after "disaster" double injury blow | OneFootball

FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit has given his reaction to the news that Di'Shon Bernard and Barry Bannan are set for spells on the sidelines.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

It has been an excellent season so far for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship, but a huge double injury blow could be damaging to their promotion hopes.

After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Wednesday have made significant progress under manager Danny Rohl this campaign, and they currently sit 11th in the table, just three points from the play-off places.

However, Wednesday's promotion push has stalled slightly in recent weeks after a run of just two wins in their last nine games, and they conceded a 96th-minute winner in the 2-1 defeat against fifth-placed West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Saturday.

If that late heartbreak was not devastating enough for the Owls, defender Di'Shon Bernard was forced off in the first half with what Rohl described post-match as "big injury", and the 24-year-old looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Bernard joins captain Barry Bannan in the Wednesday treatment room, and Rohl revealed that the midfielder, who has scored four goals and provided four assists in 33 appearances this season, could be out for up to six weeks.

Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit reacts to Di'Shon Bernard and Barry Bannan news

When asked for his reaction to losing Bernard and Bannan for an extended period, FLW's Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit Patrick McKenna admitted that the pair's absence could spell the end of the Owls' play-off hopes, and he questioned why the club did not bring in a new centre-back in January.

"In regard to the injuries to Barry Bannan and Di'Shon Bernard, this is an absolute disaster, there is no other way of putting it," Patrick said.

"In my mind, despite having a fantastic manager in Danny Rohl, our play-off hopes were slim, and it was the case that we needed to strengthen our squad in order to push on and possibly nick the last spot.

"As I'm talking now, our squad has been weakened unfortunately.

"Regarding Di'Shon Bernard, all Wednesday fans are of the view that it was crazy that we didn't bring in a centre-back in the January transfer window, and unfortunately, that's really come back to bite us.

"Losing Bernard is a huge blow in an area that we were already really stretched in, so unless we can rush out and get a replacement for him, it's definitely going to cost us because our defensive weaknesses have been our Achilles heel this season.

"With Barry Bannan, it goes without saying how important this man is to our club.

"He is the absolute heartbeat of the team, he is the leader, and his contributions really can't be replaced, so lose him at this stage of the season is very disappointing.

"In terms of replacements for him, Nathaniel Chalobah is trying his best, but his fitness really isn't there, and Stuart Armstrong has kind of been thrown in.

"Armstrong had a decent enough full debut on Saturday, but watching the game at times when West Brom had all the possession and we seemed to be a bit rattled and had lost a bit of control, you could just see where Barry Bannan would have come in.

"Our play-off hopes now are even thinner, but the situation with Di'Shon Bernard is self-inflicted.

"I suppose Barry Bannan was always going to get injured at some stage, so there needs to be a succession plan for him, but sadly that isn't really in place.

"Possibly that is the play-off dream killed off."

January transfer window failings could come back to haunt Sheffield Wednesday

Bernard and Bannan have been two of Wednesday's best players this season, so it is difficult to overstate just how much of a blow it is for Rohl's men to lose the pair.

Given that Akin Famewo and Dominic Iorfa are already sidelined with long-term injuries, it was baffling that the Owls did not bring in at least one new centre-back in January, and with Bernard now joining the list of absentees, they have been left incredibly light at the back.

It is tough to see Wednesday reaching the play-offs without Bernard or Bannan, and after wasting crucial weeks of the transfer window by failing to communicate until the middle of January, Rohl and owner Dejphon Chansiri may live to regret not resolving their dispute earlier.