Sheffield Wednesday: Hard-working Fernando leads promotion quest

He can be devastating and infuriating in equal measure.
Fernando ForestieriFernando Forestieri
Fernando Forestieri

But Fernando Forestieri is undisputedly one of the form players in the Championship.

The versatile forward has been a revelation since arriving at Hillsborough, grabbing eight goals in 16 Wednesday starts.

There are times when Forestieri drifts in and out of matches. But when is on song, he is a difficult man to keep at bay.

Jack Hunt, the Wednesday full-back, told The Star: “Fernando is brilliant and can do things other people can’t.

“Sometimes he does frustrate you, but you take that all day for what he does and brings to the team.

“He works so hard and the things he tries are things that only special players like him can pull off. If it doesn’t come off, as long as he is working hard, no-one will ever say anything.

“In training he’s the exact same and drifts into pockets. He finds gaps that not many other players will find and he is tough to mark and very strong for his size.”

Attack minded defender Hunt said he is “really enjoying” his temporary spell at Hillsborough but the Crystal Palace loanee is keeping tight-lipped over his long-term future. The 25-year-old, who has previously had loan stints at Rotherham United, Chesterfield and Barnsley, has confirmed Palace are keeping close tabs on his progress and revealed he has spoken to his parent club “quite a lot recently”.

“I am just concentrating on my football,” he stressed. “I will leave that to the manager, chairman and Crystal Palace. If they have that conversation any time soon, brilliant. If not, we will have to see what happens. But I am really enjoying my time here and I am quite relaxed.”

As we near the half-way point in the league season, Hunt is convinced the promotion race remains wide open.

He said: “There are five really good teams in the league and a lot of people would argue there’s only one play-off place (open) perhaps. To be in touching distance of that going into Boxing Day and such a hectic fixture list is good and the dressing room is ready to see what we can do in the next couple of games.

“Personally, I think there are five teams up there who are very strong and it’s kind of up to them if are to drop off from those places. But anyone can put a good run of games together and if you can do that, you can easily break into that top five.”