Sheffield Wednesday’s 2025/26 EFL Championship campaign has been nothing short of a nightmare, but some rays of hope are beginning to shine through.

The Owls entered the season in disarray after a turbulent summer that saw a number of valuable assets and once-popular manager Danny Rohl leave the blue-and-white quarters of the Steel City due to repeated delayed wage payments during the later phases of Dejphon Chansiri’s reign.

Wednesday’s administration in October saw Chansiri finally leave the helm, but it also resulted in a 12-point deduction from the EFL, effectively certifying relegation to League One for Henrik Pedersen’s struggling team.

A further six points were deducted in December due to the aforementioned failures to pay playing and non-playing staff, and Wednesday’s relegation was sealed last month with a 2-1 loss away to Steel City rivals Sheffield United.

Wednesday’s current season has been nothing short of disastrous both on and off the pitch, with the club still on -6 points after winning only once this season, but renewed excitement and optimism has been generated around Hillsborough as US businessman David Storch moves closer to a long-awaited takeover of the crisis-hit Owls.

It’s been far unusual for Wednesday fans to receive a positive on-field update in recent years, with supporters merely attempting to get through a season that was always redundant and tarnished by previous disasters.

However, this is exactly what transpired in a fresh emergent scenario in S6, as a major player prepares to return to action.

Sheffield Wednesday provide an encouraging Di’Shon Bernard update.

The man in question is Di’Shon Bernard, who is still a popular figure among Wednesday fans but has yet to play a game this season after suffering a major knee injury in his side’s 2-1 defeat at West Bromwich Albion in February of last year.

Then-manager Rohl stated that it was a season-ending injury that would necessitate surgery, and more setbacks have prevented Bernard from returning to the field more than a year later.

The 25-year-old’s absence has been felt keenly after two good seasons in the Championship with Wednesday, who have struggled with a weak squad all season and would have benefited from the experience and skill of the Manchester United academy product.

Pedersen recently hinted that Bernard could return to duty before the end of the season, and new film shows the defender being put through his paces and beaming with a smile during training.

The video, which was shared on Wednesday’s official X channel on Tuesday afternoon, showed Bernard looking fit, sharp, and in good spirits as he bonded and laughed with teammates in a beautiful moment for all Owls.

At this point, it’s unclear when Bernard will return to the pitch, but it’s evident that he’s not far off, which will be a significant boost for Wednesday moving ahead.

Bernard also spoke with Wednesday’s media team, where he expressed his optimism about coming back on the pitch before saying that “the finish line is near.”

He explained: “It has been a minute. The sun has come out, and it feels good to get the legs moving again; hopefully, we can continue from here.

“It’s been challenging. “I work in the gym every day, but it lifts my spirits to see everyone happy for me to be outside.”It gives me another energy boost to keep running, and the finish line is close.”

Di’Shon Bernard can have a major impact on Sheffield Wednesday in League One.

Although Wednesdayites should not be surprised to see more departures this summer following relegation to League One, but not on the same scale as last year’s big exodus, Bernard is one of those who supporters may be most hopeful of keeping after missing so much action.

That might play into Wednesday’s hands as they move into the third tier, where Bernard could play a key role as the team looks to steady the ship both on and off the field before returning to the Championship.

The 19-cap Jamaican international has proven to be a competent performer in the second tier and may be an important part of Wednesday’s future if he decides to stay with the club, while the fact that he has another year on his deal also benefits the Owls.

It will be hoped that he can get some minutes under his belt in the final weeks of the current season before beginning over in August and re-establishing himself as a star in the Owls backline.