What ‘delighted’ Barry Bannan said after helping Sheffield Wednesday to huge QPR win

The Owls skipper wheeled off in celebration after watching his clipped cross reach Ashley Fletcher’s head, then the post, and then Musaba’s boot as he fired it home in front of the Kop. It was a goal that sealed a dramatic turnaround in a huge game.

Wednesday needed to get something against Queens Park Rangers, one of their direct rivals in the relegation scrap, but things weren’t going to plan as Danny Röhl’s side headed into the final few minutes of the game.

But after Bailey Cadamarteri got them back level there was a feeling in the crowd that they could finish the job, and Bannan admits that they felt it down on the pitch, too.

Speaking to The Star after the game, the Owls skipper said, "Second half we were the better team, we were the ones forcing the game, dictating the game. We probably lacked quality in the final third at crucial moments, but it's the end of a tough week, boys are tired so you're not going to get the same quality.

"But what you need to do there is make sure you're fighting to the end. Once we got the goal I knew we were going to push to win it. Once you get this crowd behind you it's powerful and that's why I was trying to get the boys back to the halfway line to give us more time because I knew as soon as we got one we were going to be pushing for a second.

“Whether we got it or not I didn't know, but I knew we would get chances. It's amazing. They were behind us the whole second half and drove us over the line.”

He also told the media afterwards, “I’m delighted - it's another amazing win that I've had since I've been at this club… It's only three points at the end of the day but it's the way the three points have come. We can't sugar-coat it and say it wasn't a big game.

"In the position we're in, if you lose a game you need to make sure you bounce back the following game. With it being QPR, a team around us, it was a massive game at the end of a tough week. To ask the same bodies to go out again for the 90 minutes or whatever it was was a big ask but we showed the mentality and the willingness to win.”

No player on the pitch had more possession or more touches than Bannan on Saturday afternoon, and he also made the most passes, most accurate passes and most key passes as he looked to try and help the Owls force their way back into things in a much-improved second half display.

Wednesday are now just six points off Millwall and Huddersfield Town in 20th and 21st place in the Championship, and Röhl will be hoping that a strong end to 2023 can help them cut that gap even further.