Challinor takes over at Sheffield Wednesday

A new era is underway at Sheffield Wednesday following the appointment of Dave Challinor as the club's new manager. Challinor was confirmed as the club's new manager on the morning of the game against Blackpool, after the Owls parted company with Henrik Pedersen last month. The 51-year-old spent almost five years in charge of Stockport County, leading them from the National League to League One, and holds the remarkable record of finishing in the play-offs or higher in each of his 15 full seasons as a manager.

Louie Barry worked under Challinor on three separate occasions at Stockport during his loan spells from Aston Villa, and the forward produced the best form of his career across his various stints at Edgeley Park. Barry linked up with Challinor for the first time as he joined the Hatters on a season-long loan, and he scored nine goals and provided four assists in a number of appearances to help the club to the League Two title. After the success of his first loan, Barry returned to Stockport in the summer and took his form to another level in League One, netting a significant tally of goals and registering three assists in a number of games before being recalled by Villa in January.

The Hatters secured a third loan deal for Barry in January, and while injury limited him to just 10 appearances in the second half of last season, he still managed to score four goals, including netting in the second leg of the play-off semi-final victory over Stevenage. Barry made a promising start to his permanent Wednesday career this summer, scoring three goals and providing one assist in his first six appearances, but he was ruled out for three months after sustaining an ankle ligament injury in early September.

As he continues to make good progress in his recovery, it has been suggested that Barry could make his return earlier than expected after the November international break, meaning Challinor may not have to wait too long to have the 23-year-old at his disposal, which is a mouthwatering prospect for Owls supporters.