Sheffield Wednesday urged to 'get rid' of 30-year-old in January | OneFootball

FLW's Owls fan pundit doesn't feel that Ethan Horvath has done enough to warrant extending his stay at Hillsborough

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...

If Pierce Charles' recovery timeline has gone to plan, it won't be long until the young Northern Irishman is available for selection again for Sheffield Wednesday.

And for many, that'll spell the end of Ethan Horvath's time at Hillsborough, which will unfortunately be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Charles has been out of action since August with a shoulder injury, but could be making his return by the end of November. In light of this injury, Wednesday were forced to move quickly and bring in American keeper Horvath on loan from Cardiff City until January.

The 30-year-old has conceded 21 goals in 11 games during his time at Hillsborough so far, and whilst many Wednesday fans praise him for coming and helping the club out during a dire few months towards the end of Dejphon Chansiri's ownership, he's come under fire for some of his performances in between the sticks.

Another error on Saturday against Southampton compounded his misery, and FLW's Owls fan pundit, Patrick McKenna, can't see his loan being extended past January, especially if Charles is nearing a return.

Sheffield Wednesday fan pundit assesses Ethan Horvath's time at Hillsborough

Despite being the number one in a Luton Town side that won promotion to the Premier League in the 2022/23 campaign, Horvath hasn't exactly been free of the odd goalkeeper error in his career.

The 30-year-old has had his fair share of blunders in a Wednesday shirt, from his red card against Charlton Athletic to goals which were a product of poor decision-making, and McKenna doesn't feel that he'll remain in South Yorkshire after his loan ends.

"Ethan Horvath should be someone we look to get rid of in January," McKenna said.

"Hopefully, by then, we should be able to bring in some players and get someone else as our number two, as hopefully Pierce Charles will be back soon, and he can take back his rightful spot as our number one keeper.

"I do appreciate that, when looking for an emergency loan keeper, there was only going to be one category of keeper we could get, and whilst there's no doubt that Horvath has come in and given his all, he isn't good enough.

"There are too many blunders when he's in the net, and it seems that the next mistake is around the corner — I don't have any confidence in him."

McKenna respects Horvath's commitment to stepping into what was an incredibly toxic environment at Sheffield Wednesday in August. Owls fans staged protests in their opening day matchup at Leicester City, and took part in mass boycotts of their EFL Cup games at Hillsborough in the infancy of this season.

However, some decisions, particularly the red card challenge against Charlton, have seen the fan pundit lose all confidence in the stand-in goalie, and performances following his suspension haven't done enough to win him back.

"I think his red card against Charlton was utterly ridiculous," he explained. "There was absolutely no need for that sort of challenge in the 96th minute, bearing in mind that he knew the situation regarding him being our only keeper.

"I was really annoyed by that, and it confirmed to me that we needed better. He hasn't done much since then to change my mind.

"So, it'd be a case of 'thanks for the effort,' but I would not be looking for him to return in January."

Pierce Charles' return couldn't come quicker for Sheffield Wednesday

Whilst Horvath hasn't exactly made many fans at Hillsborough, and Wednesdayites are eager for Charles to come back to replace him, the return of the young goalkeeper is important for other reasons, too.

The 20-year-old was arguably the sole shining light remaining in the Wednesday squad prior to the season starting, after the majority of the squad from last season was gutted.

Many expected the exciting youngster to depart the club this summer, especially given that he resembled one of the few marketable assets that Sheffield Wednesday had remaining at the club, but the Northern Irishman opted to stay after he broke into the side towards the back end of last season.

Putting it plainly, Sheffield Wednesday supporters will be happy to see someone other than Ethan Horvath in goal, but even if the emergency loan keeper had performed admirably during Charles' absence, Wednesdayites would still have yearned for the Northern Irishman to return.

The 20-year-old performed incredibly in the opening two games of the Championship campaign before his injury, and many can't wait to see him pick up where he left off later this month.