'I have to' - Barry Bannan's frank admission over Sheffield Wednesday return as League One goal outlined
Barry Bannan has spoken about his position in the Sheffield Wednesday squad following his return
Barry Bannan believes he needs to “prove himself” after returning to Sheffield Wednesday.
The 36-year-old is back at Hillsborough after a brief stint away at Millwall and made his official comeback at the weekend, making his 478th Owls appearance.
He impressed in the 1-0 Carabao Cup win over Bolton Wanderers, pulling the strings in the middle of the park, but is under no illusions about his position in the side.
Barry Bannan out to prove himself at Sheffield Wednesday
Bannan told talkSPORT: “This season for me is a big, big season coming back to the club again, and I have to prove myself again.
“There's a lot of good players fighting for the midfield position, so I've set my own targets again for this season, and I can't wait to get going again. It feels as if I've never been away, and it's great to be back and really enjoying it again.”
Sheffield Wednesday’s promotion ambition
There is a renewed sense of optimism in S6 following the completion of a long-awaited takeover by Arise Capital Partners.
A new era is being ushered in and for Bannan and his teammates, the immediate aim is to escape League One.
He said: “We're obviously an ambitious club coming down from the Championship. A lot of people from the outside will look and tip us as promotion candidates, but there's been a lot of change at the club in the last two, three months now, and with change comes a lot of hiccups along the way.
“But I think, as a group of players and staff, their aim is for the stars, and that's to get promoted out this league this season. But we know it's not going to be easy. There's going to be a lot of bumps along the way.
“We're going to try our best to get out of the league, however it may be. But I'm not naive to think that it's going to be easy. It's going to be really tough.
“And like I said, we've changed the squad. I think there was seven or eight new signings that started at the weekend, so they're all still bedding in. We're trying to find out what each other wants on the pitch, so it'll be tough, but definitely we want to get promoted.
“Now we've got the new owner come in, he's done amazing in the short space of time of being here. There's been a lot of change, but you can just see around the city that the positivity is back now.
“Once you get the fans and the ownership and stuff on board with each other, it's going to be a really, really strong club, and that's why we're all looking forward to the season ahead.”