‘They’ll know by kick-off’… What Barry Bannan will tell Sheffield Wednesday teammates ahead of Steel City derby

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The biggest date in the footballing calendar for both sides of Sheffield is coming up this weekend with the Steel City derby on Sunday, and we know exactly what Barry Bannan will be telling his teammates prior to the game.

Sheffield Wednesday host Sheffield United on Sunday afternoon, with both teams having a great deal to play for.

Danny Rohl’s men are still in with an outside shot of sneaking into the play-off places after a stunning comeback against Norwich City in midweek.

Meanwhile, United are pushing for the title thanks to Leeds United’s recent blip. A draw against Bristol City was fair but disappointing for the Blades, but only two points separate Wilder’s side from league leaders Leeds as things stand.

There’s more than just three points at stake this weekend, though. The pride and bragging rights of a whole city are on the line, and both sets of players should need very little motivation going into this huge game.

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How Barry Bannan will get the Sheffield Wednesday players ready for the derby

Last time the two teams met, United came out on top with a 1-0 win at Bramall Lane. It was a tight game, decided by one key moment involving Tyrese Campbell.

Speaking before the game back in November, Wednesday captain Barry Bannan was hyping up the occasion, and outlined exactly how he would be pushing his rallying his colleagues heading into the battle of the Steel City.

He said: “I’ve grown up with one of the biggest derbies in the world [Old Firm Derby], so we’re not naive to not think that it’s a massive game. They all know and if they don’t I’ll make sure they know by kick-off on Sunday.

“But it’s a massive game. You want the bragging rights, you want to send your fans home happy that day and most importantly, as players, it’s a massive three points if we can get them.”

Naturally, that sentiment will be much the same before Sunday’s match. Perhaps even more so, with Wednesday looking for revenge after last time.

Discussing how he would be leading by example as one of the few members of the team to have experienced the Steel City derby before, Bannan added: “It’s important that you speak about it because they do need to know, they do need to know what will come our way.

“A lot of them would have been involved in derbies before, but I wouldn’t say to this scale… it’s not just a normal game. But it’s important that you don’t get carried away too much and go away from what we’ve done previously, it’s about getting the right balance and not overhyping it too much.

“Not making people nervous… it’s a balance, it’s about knowing what’s at stake and it’s massive. A captain’s job is to make sure everyone knows what they’re doing and what is going to come.

“I’m lucky that I’ve been here ten years so I know what our fans expect as a bare minimum and I know what the game will bring. Being involved in a few in recent years I know what it’s about.”

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Steel City derby win could push Sheffield Wednesday to promotion

While fans have been unhappy with Dejphon Chansiri’s ticketing strategy for the big game, there are plenty of reasons to be positive when it comes to matters on the pitch.

Wednesday are now just five points off the top six with nine games to go, and with the momentum generated from that win over Norwich in midweek, it wouldn’t be beyond the realms of possibility for the Owls to make it before the season is over.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
6	CoventryCoventry	37	16	8	13	52	48	4	56
7	Bristol CityBristol City	37	13	15	9	47	40	7	54
8	MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough	37	15	8	14	57	48	9	53
9	BlackburnBlackburn	37	15	7	15	41	38	3	52
10	WatfordWatford	37	15	7	15	47	50	-3	52
11	Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday	37	14	9	14	53	58	-5	51
12	NorwichNorwich	37	12	13	12	59	52	7	49
13	MillwallMillwall	37	12	12	13	36	39	-3	48
14	QPRQPR	37	11	11	15	42	48	-6	44
15	PrestonPreston	37	9	17	11	37	43	-6	44

Of course, three points on Sunday would be a massive boost towards that goal, but perhaps more importantly, getting a result against their fierce rivals could be just the lift Sheffield Wednesday need heading into the international break.

The Owls may well end up losing Rohl come the end of the season, but he could really sign off in style with a win over United this weekend. And, if the play-off dream does come true, that would be one way of ensuring the German sticks around a little longer.