Latest selection surprise at Sheffield Wednesday begs the question – What of the fan favourite forgotten man?

That’s been a question posed from time to time in Darren Moore media engagements in recent weeks.

It’s because Jack Hunt, he of a newly-signed contract and a wealth of experience and of favourite status among a swathe of Sheffield Wednesday supporters, is perhaps the forgotten man when it comes to Owls selection this season.

At this stage last season he had played 985 minutes of League One football. This time he’s locked on just 226 and hasn’t started since the third match of the campaign some 95 days ago.

Hunt was ruled unable to play any part in three Carabao Cup matches, endured a Papa Johns campaign Moore admitted saw few further their case for league involvement and even after an ear infection to Liam Palmer, Dominic Iorfa was preferred on the right wing in Saturday’s win at Accrington Stanley despite not having played there for some time.

A surprise call it was. The more senior man watched on from the bench as Iorfa collected plaudits for an energetic display.

There are reasons for it, of course. A nasty chest infection and a couple of niggly injuries have proven difficult to shake at different points of the season, the latest a minor strain that kept him out of three matchday squads.

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“He’s trained over the last couple of days and he’s OK,” Moore said, ruling Hunt very much available for the Accrington trip.

“He had a little bit of a strain but we think he’s upto speed. It’s probably a little sooner than expected. He’s had no reaction which is great news.”

Perhaps the biggest cause has the form of Palmer, shifted from the clutches of last season’s injury crisis in the three-man defence and freed up out wide to provide some of his best form in his long Wednesday career. Few, maybe even Hunt himself, would decry the run of matches Palmer has enjoyed in recent months.

There’s no doubting the ability of the dependable Hunt, who has run into availability issues for the first time in his 162-match Wednesday career.

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With Iorfa having seemingly elbowed his way into the conversation at right wing-back, it’s upto Hunt to make a statement when his time comes again, whenever that opportunity arises.

He’ll hope he doesn’t have to wait too long.