Gary Megson will be forced into changes ahead of Sheffield Wednesday’s F.A. Cup first round clash at Morecambe as two of his loan players have not been granted permission to play for the Owls in the competition at this stage.
Winger Ben Marshall, who is on loan at Hillsborough until January, has been blocked from playing in the F.A. Cup for the Owls by his parent club Stoke City. The Premier League side, who reached the final last season, look set to progress to the next stage of the Europa League and as a result they could have a congested fixture schedule early next year. With this in mind they are keeping all of their options open should they need to call on them.
Goalkeeper Stephen Bywater will also be unavailable for the 1st round tie. The Derby County player only joined the Owls in September on an emergency loan until mid-December. Although he is down the pecking order at Pride Park it is not a surprise decision as should Wednesday not wish to extend the loan deal then Bywater would be cup tied if he was allowed to play for the Owls and as such his prospective value to Derby and other teams looking for an on-loan goalkeeper would be diminished.
There is better news in terms of defender Danny Batth. The Wolves player is currently on loan at Hillsborough until January but he has been granted permission to play for the Owls in the F.A. Cup. Batth has formed a strong central defensive partnership with Rob Jones and this decision could be perceived as a positive step in relation to perhaps extending his stay with the club beyond the end of the current deal.