Saturday Interview: Sheffield derby: Jeffers out to make up for lost time with Wednesday

As a regular caller to Sheffield Wednesday's training ground, I was only too aware of the fact that the man from Merseyside was hardly 'media friendly'.

He had never been impolite and had always been willing to exchange 'hellos' – but that was about it. No interviews, no thanks.

Today, however, it was completely different.

Not only was there a smile and a cordial handshake but a willingness to pose for photographs and a relaxed conversation.

Jeffers, now 29, was a player who had the world at his feet until injuries got in the way.

He had burst onto the scene as a teenager at Everton, moved to Arsenal for 8m, and scored on his England debut against Australia in 2003.

Alarmingly, he never played for his country again but Wayne Rooney, who also won his first cap that night, is now one of the biggest stars on the planet and a close personal friend.

The pair attended the same school in Liverpool and turned professional at Goodison Park.

However, while Rooney is heading to a second World Cup, Jeffers is a forgotten man after spending the majority of this season in the footballing wilderness.

His big mistake was getting sent off in a Carling Cup tie – a crime that cost him any future at Hillsborough under former manager Brian Laws.

It took the departure of Laws to re-open his door to first-team football – and even now his appearances have still been limited to cameo roles from the bench.

Yet, with three games to play, the Owls are crying out for a saviour and goals are in short supply.

Jeffers is more than ready for the call if needed in tomorrow's Steel City derby against Sheffield United.

"Football is a funny game because things can change so quickly," he said. "When I got sent-off at Port Vale, the old gaffer told me I would never play for the club again.

"You never say 'never' so I kept my head down and took the punishment like a man. But once a manager says things like that, it is hard for fans not to turn against you."

Jeffers returned to a chorus of disapproval. Whatever sympathy he had among the supporters had been blown away by that moment of madness. He had been transfer-listed and fined two week's wages for headbutting an opponent in an off-the-ball incident.

"They saw it as letting them down," he concedes. "And I did let everyone down; my family, my friends, the club, the fans, the gaffer, I know that – but football is a passionate game and sometimes you lose your head."

Laws, who was desperate to get Jeffers off the wage bill, was sacked before the opening of the New Year transfer window.

The Owls, struggling in the Championship relegation zone, appointed Alan Irvine who had worked previously with Jeffers at Everton.

"You have got to be selfish as a footballer to get on," admits Jeffers. "I wasn't praying for Lawsy to get the sack but I knew that, if he did, it would be the only way I would play again for the club. He was doing a good job but you lose a few games and the pressure comes. Unfortunately, he lost his job."

It was still another two months before Irvine could call upon the striker due to a hamstring problem but, in the last nine games, he has been fit and a regular on the bench.

If proof were needed of a return to the fold, it came in last weekend's defeat at Middlesbrough when his introduction as substitute was greeted with cheers. The stage is now set for Jeffers to play a bigger role in Wednesday's fight for survival.

"These are the biggest three games of my career," he insisted.

"And there would be no better feeling than to help this club stay in this league.

"There is no getting away from the fact that I have had bad injuries and I have not got going but, if I do move on, I will thank the fans because it has been as disappointing for them as it has been for me.

"Two bad tackles have done my ankles but I still feel that I have got a lot in the tank," he said. "I am a positive person and I think I have got a lot to offer someone."

Jeffers knows all about the pressures of a local derby having played for Everton against Liverpool, Arsenal against Tottenham, and Rangers against Celtic. However, he was sent off against Liverpool in 1999 for fighting with goalkeeper Sander Westerveld.

"Derbies are always special games for the players but even more special for the fans," he said. "In Liverpool, you have families split half and half, and it will be like that here.

"It is even more important for us to win the game because we are flirting with relegation. I have never been relegated with any club and I don't intend to start now."

With his contract due to expire this summer, there is a massive question mark hanging over Jeffers's future.

"You never know what's around the corner," he said. "I think I have got unfinished business and, if I was lucky enough to do well in the last three games, maybe the gaffer would think about offering me something?"

That truly would be an amazing story – but, then again, so is the rest of his career.