Sheffield Wednesday forward Mallik Wilks is poised to return to the squad against Cheltenham Town after missing out on the squad to face Forest Green Rovers.
Sheffield Wednesday fell to a shock defeat on Sunday afternoon, losing to League One’s bottom side Forest Green. It marked Duncan Ferguson’s first win in charge of the Green and a second consecutive loss for the Owls, blowing the automatic promotion battle wide open.
Jordon Garrick’s goal proved pivotal, sending Wednesday home with nothing after a dismal display.
After making strides in his recovery, former Leeds United and Hull City forward Wilks was absent from the squad that faced Forest Green despite his progress and the fact that he travelled down with the squad. Now though, Moore has explained his omission.
As quoted by The Star, Moore said his absence from the squad was just a precaution, so he should be available against Cheltenham Town. He said:
“Probably the one player for Cheltenham is Mallik coming back in to it. He’s the one we’re looking at really… We expect one or two more back, but we’re looking at another couple of weeks on them.”
When quizzed on how close Wilks was to returning, Moore added:
“Very.
“He travelled down with us but we made a decision in the morning after training that he felt a bit of soreness and fatigue. But hopefully after a couple of days treatment it’ll have done him the world of good. We just didn’t risk him.
“It’d be a massive boost.”
A welcome returnee…
Wilks’ season hasn’t been the smoothest. He’s struggled with injuries since signing and hasn’t been able to nail down a starting spot as a result. The forward has still managed a decent return of a goal and four assists in 12 League One games, and it will be hoped he can add to that tally over the final weeks of the campaign.
Wilks has bags of League One pedigree and has starred in promotion pushes with Hull City and Doncaster Rovers before.
His presence in the final stages adds some real depth to Wednesday’s attacking options and provides Moore with a selection headache as he bids to guide the Owls back to the second-tier.
