Sheffield Wednesday defender Reece James will ‘definitely’ miss his side’s League One clash against Cheltenham Town, journalist Joe Crann has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Owls host Cheltenham

The Owls are back in action on Saturday afternoon, looking to bounce back from the bitter disappointment of their 2-1 defeat away to Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night.

Up next is the visit of Cheltenham, who sit 14th in the table, but Darren Moore isn’t without injury problems going into the game, with James seen as a doubt this week.

An update has since emerged regarding the 28-year-old’s availability for this afternoon’s clash.

The Latest: James misses out

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Crann confirmed that James would miss out today, which comes as a blow for the Owls.

The Star reporter tweeted:

“Reece James is ‘not good’… #SWFC say they need a longer prognosis. Definitely won’t make this weekend’s game.”

The Verdict: Must-win game

James has been a solid performer for Wednesday this season, making eight league appearances and averaging two tackles per game (second-highest in the squad), so he will be a miss against Cheltenham.

Moore’s side should still have enough to beat their opponents, though, with matches like this against bottom-half opposition simply a must-win in the automatic promotion battle.

The defeat to Plymouth means that Wednesday are now four points adrift of second-placed Ipswich Town, and while it is still very early in the season, they won’t want to lose much more ground at the top if they are to finish in the top two and avoid the play-off lottery.