New signing Liam Cooper is set to go straight into the Wednesday defence for Sunday lunchtime’s Hillsborough derby showdown with Sheff U.

The vastly experienced Cooper, who joined us this week as a free agent, has impressed Henrik Pedersen in training and the Owls boss said today ahead of the game: “He’ll be ready for Sunday.

“To find experience with hunger can be difficult but he has both. To then find someone who is also ready to give and not only to get is fantastic.

“Already he leads in the training and he supports the players around him.”

Yan Valery, Harry Amass and Bailey Cadamarteri have all returned from international duties without injury. Both Valery and Amass are likely to be in the starting line-up while Cadamarteri could start on the bench following his two World Cup qualifiers with Jamaica in the Caribbean.

We go into Sunday’s game at the foot of the Championship table on minus four points, 13 adrift of nearest rivals Norwich, before Saturday’s fixtures.

Pedersen also confirmed that youngster Bruno Fernandes will be out for six to eight weeks with a muscle injury and said that free agents Duncan Whatmore and Nathan Redmond have been training with the Owls, although there is no decision as to whether either of them will join us.

*Sunday’s match kicks off at noon and, if you are not going to the game, then London Owls will be meeting at Mabel’s Tavern, 9 Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9AZ. The pub opens at 11am.