Championship experts praise Barry Bannan for ‘remarkable’ thing he’s doing at Sheffield Wednesday

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Against Portsmouth, Sheffield Wednesday skipper Barry Bannan continued to prove that age is just a number.

Bannan scored a wonderful free-kick from around 25 yards out at Portsmouth to put Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 up.

Owls youngster George Brown scored his side’s second of the afternoon to send the visiting Owls back to Sheffield with their first win of the season.

Sheffield Wednesday head coach Henrik Pedersen hailed Bannan for his captain’s performance against Pompey, and now two Championship experts have followed suit regarding the Scotsman.

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Championship experts label Barry Bannan as ‘remarkable’

Manchester United loanee Harry Amass also impressed for Sheffield Wednesday at Portsmouth, but it was Bannan who stole the headlines for his match-winning performance.

The veteran midfielder covered every inch of the Fratton Park pitch, dictated the game in defence and attack for Sheffield Wednesday, and Bannan’s gesture to Brown was the perfect encapsulation of his captain’s quality.

As Bannan continues to shine, approaching his 36th birthday in December, two Championship experts have heaped praise on the “Sheffield Wednesday legend” for dominating the midfield in his swansong years.

When discussing Bannan, Justin Peach told the Second Tier podcast: “It’s quite remarkable that he’s still able to do this at this age in games. He’s going to have to play a lot this season.

“Weirdly, he’s one of those players who’s managed to stave off significant injury problems.

“But the fact that that free-kick is one thing, but it’s his ability to dominate and run midfield still.

“The position that Wednesday are in, they’re still relying on someone who is mid to late 30s, I would say, is incredible. But what a player, what a player.”

Ryan Dilks added: “Yeah, we’ve got to remind everyone that in the summer he had offers to leave.

“He was out of contract, still turning up to training though, even though he didn’t need to.

“He reportedly ended up signing a new deal this summer on much worse terms than his previous contract, even though Middlesbrough and Millwall were offering to pay him three times what he’s earning now.

“So they’re sticking with a club through thick and thin, and then there’s Barry Bannan, and he’s still producing the goods as well.

“He’s playing in a team where most of the players aren’t on his level, let’s be honest, but he doesn’t moan. He just wants to do his bit for the club.

“And the term legend gets thrown around very easily nowadays, but he is, without a doubt, a Sheffield Wednesday legend.

“And no matter what happens this season, Wednesday fans certainly will not forget what Barry Bannan has done for their club.”

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Henrik Pedersen needs Barry Bannan to stay fit for Sheffield Wednesday

As the Second Tier podcast alluded to, Bannan has an impressive record when it comes to injuries.

According to Transfermarkt data, Bannan has missed only 18 games in his just over ten-year stint at Sheffield Wednesday, due to a hip injury he sustained within the 2017/18 Championship campaign, which kept him out from mid-December to late-February.

Already this season, Bannan has played almost every minute for the Owls in the league, barring his red card in the 76th minute in Sheffield Wednesday’s defeat at Leicester City on the opening weekend.

As many Sheffield Wednesday fans will admit, a great deal of their second tier survival prospects fall on the Scotsman’s shoulders, meaning Bannan must continue to stay fit and keep dictating games for the Owls as he did at Pompey with his stupendous set-piece strike.