Barry Bannan drops new message to Sheffield Wednesday fans | OneFootball

Barry Bannan delivered a message to Sheffield Wednesday fans following his second debut for the club

Barry Bannan made his long-awaited second debut for Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, leading the Owls out for their EFL Cup first-round win against Bolton Wanderers.

It marked appearance number 478 in a Wednesday shirt for the 36-year-old and his first since he bid an emotional farewell following a defeat against Bristol City back in January, signing for Millwall shortly afterwards amidst uncertainty surrounding the club's future in administration.

A lot has changed since Bannan's first spell at Hillsborough, and the future of Sheffield Wednesday looks brighter than ever under the Arise ownership, especially following a victory over Championship opposition in the first game of the new season.

Barry Bannan sends a message to Sheffield Wednesday fans after second debut

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The more things change, however, the more that they stay the same, as Wednesday's first goal of the new campaign was created by a lovely weighted through ball from Bannan, which was finished off with a lob from Jamal Lowe.

Additionally, with Liam Palmer, the Owls captain for the new campaign, starting on the bench, the returning Scotsman wore the armband, something he did for over five years before he left in January.

There was a lot of anticipation surrounding the return of the fan favourite midfielder, both from a fan's perspective and from Bannan himself. The 36-year-old spoke on record in June about how he never wanted to leave, so his return would have definitely been emotional.

Taking to Instagram after the game, the midfielder thanked the fans for the reception and insisted that there was still work to do ahead of the League One campaign kicking off this Saturday.

"What a feeling it was being back home, amazing reception. Thank you 🦉 Good result, loads of positives and bits to work on. Big week ahead, keep working, see you next week 💪," he wrote.

Barry Bannan resumed where he left off in the heart of the Sheffield Wednesday midfield on his return

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Beautiful assist aside, Bannan marshalled the midfield as only the 36-year-old could against Bolton on Saturday. To many Wednesday fans, it was like he never left.

The Scotsman held down the left inside channel, looking to start attacks for Henrik Pedersen's side. Of his 30 accurate passes (misplacing just five), 10 of them were into the final third. He also completed seven of his nine attempted long balls, too, per Fotmob.

In future games against League One opposition, there'll be an expectation that he'll have more involvement, too. He only had 41 touches as Bolton had the majority of the ball, even despite being reduced to 10 men early in the second half.

But even with fewer touches than he may become used to as the season goes on, he still had his fingerprints on everything positive going forward for the Owls, and those leaving Hillsborough after the game were left impressed at his involvement in the deciding goal.

Barry Bannan's admission will give hope ahead of the new League One campaign

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With Bannan stating that there is still work to be done and ways for Sheffield Wednesday to improve, Owls fans can start to get optimistic about what Henrik Pedersen's side can do in the third tier this season.

While the red card did change the game and allowed Wednesday to see a bit more of the ball and create more chances, it was, overall, a solid performance and a needed one at that, after they lost their final pre-season outing 4-0 against League Two side Oldham Athletic.

There were always going to be teething problems given the sheer number of new players arriving at the club this summer, and there'll be more to come between now and the window closing, too, but for a first competitive game together, the new-look Owls side held their own.

If that can be the base performance, with the scope to improve substantially as the year goes on, there's bound to be some cause for excitement among the Wednesday fans about their ceiling this season.