Owls Receive Mellor Injury Boost

The injury sustained by Wednesday striker Neil Mellor in the JP Trophy defeat at Carlisle last night doesn't appear to be as bad as first feared, according to boss Alan Irvine.

Wednesday fans and the Owls coaching staff feared the worst when the in-form hitman went down under a challenge with United defender Lubo Michalik in last night's 3-1 defeat at Brunton Park.

It took a five-minute stoppage to get Mellor on a stretcher and carry him off the pitch, leaving Owls fans fearing the club's star striker could be sidelined for a long period.

Mellor will have a scan on his ankle but Irvine has revealed the injury shouldn't be as bad as first feared.

'He's better than we feared. He's putting weight on it now, that's a good sign,' he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

'We'll just need to assess him tomorrow [on Wednesday]. He's twisted his ankle, so we'll see how he is.'

He added: 'He couldn't feel his ankle at the time so we feared the worst as far as that was concerned.

'We certainly are happier now with how he is than than when it first happened.'

Given Marcus Tudgay's departure on-loan to Nottingham Forest, with a view to a permanent deal, the set-back couldn't have come at a worse time for the Owls.

But Irvine, and all Wednesdayites, will be keeping their fingers crossed that the former Liverpool man, who has netted 12 goals for the Owls this season, isn't sidelined for too long.

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