Sheffield Wednesday struck late to earn a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest on Saturday and Barry Bannan was one of many players to come away with praise from supporters on social media.
The 30-year-old started alongside Kieran Lee and Massimo Luongo in midfield and helped limit Forest to only three shots on target over the 90 minutes. No player saw more of the ball and no player made more passes than Bannan either.
Bannan easily our best ball player but surely he needs taking off corners and fee kicks #swfc
— Simon Morris (@BigAl_simon) June 20, 2020
https://twitter.com/SWFCLineups/status/1274379523899916289?s=20
I know he should have scored but I thought Jordan Rhodes was a threat & was unlucky with the post-hitting header. Connor Wickham a physical menace + fine goal. Barry Bannan on song – & didnt Alex Hunt look smooth on his Championship debut late on? #SWFC
— Alan Biggs (@AlanBiggs1) June 20, 2020
Bannan has a superb game, but always does a cross-field 'no look' pass that gives away possession. Why Barry?!? #SWFC
— J (@JordsSWFC25) June 20, 2020
Enjoyed that more than I thought I would and fully engrossed in the game by the end. Da Cruz looked lively and Wickham got stronger as the game went on. Thought Rhodes put in a shift but looked slow with his first half chance. Bannan and Lee decent, Iorfa a bit shaky. #swfc
— Chris Brammer 🦉 (@ChrisBramms) June 20, 2020
Thought Bannan played well but can't take a free kick or corner to save his life. Harris can't fight his way through a paper bag. The rest played well. Da Cruz brought the best threat with dead ball situations and it shown for Wickham's goal #swfc
— Bolly (@bolly1988) June 20, 2020
Against Forest, the Scottish international played for 90 minutes, had 81 touches, created one chance, had two successful dribbles, completed 76.3% of his 59 passes, had one shot, made one clearance, whipped in 11 crosses, made one interception, attempted 11 long balls with 45.4% accuracy and made one tackle.
Bannan has made 201 appearances in all competitions since joining Wednesday on a free transfer from Crystal Palace in 2015, scoring 11 goals and making 32 assists. The 30-year-old has made 38 appearances this season, scoring two goals and making seven assists.
Bannan has been a regular under Garry Monk, but his future at Hillsborough is up in the air after quotes made about wanting Premier League football, Wednesday’s poor playing style and being a better fit at Brentford. That being said, the Scot is still important and more consistent than the majority.