Sheffield Wednesday's super Swede takes weight off Barry Bannan, new role for Josh Windass, high praise for Max Lowe and a trip to B&Q

Swede debut for Ingelsson

There were a number of very decent performers for Wednesday on the day in their 4-0 win but one really stood out... Svante Ingelsson. The Swede was superb in the middle of the park, showing the full range of his abilities with strong tackling and excellent, incisive passing. For too long, that engine room has been almost solely fueled by Barry Bannan but Ingelsson looks like a player who can unburden the Owls skipper. The caveat comes with him being something of a surprise package. You'd expect Sunderland to now pay him a little bit more attention than Plymouth did, next week. Oh... and that throw-in! When the derby comes around, instead of tossing a coin at the start, I want Ingelsson and Jack Robinson to have a competition to see who can throw it the longest. 

Bannan still has fear-factor

Speaking of Bannan, he's been around the block long enough not to be getting excited by one of the greatest footballer's England has ever produced admitting that he spent the past week working with his team on trying to keep the skipper off the ball... and largely failing. But it must bring a little bit of a smile at least. Wayne Rooney said after the match that stopping Bannan dictating the game was key to the Pilgrims' pre-match gameplan and their failure to do so cost them. He's 35 this year and seemingly still holding that fear-factor over opposition managers.

New role for Windass

At half time my colleague, Alex Miller, and I pondered what Wednesday needed to do to step things up in an attacking sense and I bemoaned how Josh Windass wasn't getting hold of the ball enough in dangerous positions. Alex made the point that there was a lot of selfless work going on with Windass and on reflection it looks as though his role has changed. He was picking up the ball in deeper areas and driving forward or pulling midfielders away to create spaces for others. It could be something Wednesday fans see a lot more of this season and it can a hugely difficult and disciplined role to have for a player who is used to showing that little bit of flair. It might not have been noticable but only Bannan had more touches of the ball out of any player on the pitch and only Bannan had a higher percentage of possession. Of course a tactical switch in the second half meant he found himself in a position to get on the scoresheet but don't be surprised to see more of what happened in the first half throughout the season. 

Sunday afternoon in B&Q

If you got to Hillsborough early yesterday you might have noticed the pitch looking a bit like your grandad's back garden. And you might have wondered if someone had been down Penistone Road and raided B&Q's garden centre. Apparently the sprinklers that pop up from under the pitch packed in this week and, unable to get them fixed before the match started, a few household stand-ins were thrown out in an attempt to slicken the turf. All that was missing was a barbeque and a couple of kids running through the sprinklers with a supersoaker.

High praise for Lowe

Sometimes when a player joins a club from their nearest and fiercest rivals, it can take a while for them to settle and more importantly for the fans of their new club to take to them. Doesn't seem to have happened in Max Lowe's case. It probably helps when you turn in a solid performance on your debut, though. 'Max Lowe is a Wednesdayite' was the chant from the stands, as it appears his recent Sheffield football leanings have been forgiven and forgotten already. Lowe was another impressive performer as it became clear that Danny Rohl is putting a huge emphasis on his full-backs again this season, with Yan Valery also turning in an eye-catching display on the other side.