This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Sheffield Wednesday finally returned to winning ways on Saturday afternoon with a victory against an injury-stricken Charlton Athletic at The Valley.
Owls top scorer Steven Fletcher added two to his tally for the season, a 17th-minute header and a late second-half penalty, while strike partner Atdhe Nuhiu bagged in added time to clinch all three points.
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A change of system bore fruit for manager Garry Monk as he elected for a 4-4-2 formation with the aforementioned duo leading the line, while there was also a first start for Fernando Forestieri out on the wing with Sam Hutchinson coming back into the side to give their two-man midfield some much-needed defensive balance.
It was the performance of Barry Bannan that helped the south Yorkshireman complete their first win in five straight matches as he put in an industrious performance, showing no signs whatsoever that he was just entering his 30s.
The midfield maestro put in an encompassing display that benefitted Monk’s side at either end of the pitch – per SofaScore, he recorded three tackles, three shots and a passing accuracy of 82%, that’s on top of his assist for Fletcher’s opener.
He certainly made measures to put any chatter about his own demeanour to rest after he was slammed on social media less than 24 hours earlier following comments he made about his teammate, Foresteiri.
The 30-year-old questioned the Italian’s work ethic in training which led to some members of the Hillsborough faithful telling Bannan to ‘concentrate on his own game.’
One fan who claimed that Bannan needed to influence further up the field undoubtedly now has egg on his face as he notched his fourth assist of the season, going joint-top in the Owls squad, after supplying Fletcher with a perfectly-weighted cross for the opener.
Another supporter blasted the long-serving midfielder for only passing sideways also looks a bit silly as he recorded four key passes, meaning his contribution was actually fruitful, whilst his feat over the course of the season is by far and away above anyone else in the squad as he is averaging 2.4 per game.
With Bannan the spearhead behind their victory, you doubt many fans are slating him now.
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