Sheffield Wednesday got their pre-season campaign off to a winning start the weekend.
With two different line-ups taking to the pitch in each half, the Owls secured a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Josh Windass and Mallik Wilks.
The former gets off the mark after putting pen to paper on a new contract last week, while the likes of Olaf Kobacki and Jamal Lowe made their debuts for the club.
Di’Shon Bernard, James Beadle and Dominic Iorfa are still awaiting their return to the team, with Danny Rohl explaining the latter’s absence after the game.
It wasn’t a particularly intense 90 minutes as Sheffield Wednesday looked to get some minutes in the legs, but one player in particular seemed to impress.
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Barry Bannan put on a ‘classy showing’
Barry Bannan took up his usual spot in the middle and dictated the play as he begins his tenth season at Hillsborough.
The 34-year-old earned a 7 rating from The Star, who also wrote: “Enjoyed himself in the centre of the park, a classy showing and was arguably the best player on the pitch in the first half.”
Bannan doesn’t have as much of a hand in goal contributions as he used to, picking up three in the Championship last season.
However, the midfielder really seems to be ageing like a fine wine and the team arguably wouldn’t have survived the relegation scrap if it wasn’t for his importance.
Bannan was a pivotal figure in every area of the pitch – winning the fourth-most tackle (59), the second-most interceptions (42), blocked the most crosses (12) and passes (38) and made the most key passes (61).
His new contract is a huge relief for the club and there is no doubt that he could be vital in going forward under Rohl.
There is no doubt that he will be running out of steam as he approaches his 35th birthday this year, though he did well enough to play the full 90 minutes on 28 occasions last term.
The high number of players Wednesday are signing this summer will put less pressure on him to be a constant in midfield though.
Bannan had very little back-up last season, but Rohl will be eager to bring in some more reinforcements before the summer is up to lighten the load on the veteran’s back.