Barry Bannan confirms his importance to Sheffield Wednesday - now can they keep hold of him?

His perceptive pre-match comment that talismanic Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan is the ‘best player in League One’ proved as accurate as the immaculate passes that Wellens used to deliver in his pomp. More’s the pity as far as his Rovers side were concerned.

Like Wellens, Bannan is an old-fashioned schemer who does not pass the ball to colleagues, but lends it to them – to quote a phrase from Ian Holloway on Saturday night’s EFL highlights reel.

When he flies solo, it is usually to devastating effect.

In the final quarter of a derby that was finely poised, Bannan provided the game-breaking moment.

It was not with a pass or set-play, but a wonderfully executed strike from distance to break the deadlock.

A moment of beauty and touch of quality that belonged to another level.

Soon after, it was two with Dennis Adeniran’s joyous smile lighting up three quarters of Hillsborough when he converted the loose ball after keeper Pontus Dahlberg parried Jaden Brown’s left-wing cross into the inviting area that forwards just love.

But this was Bannan’s day. Wednesday needed to be patient and keep cool heads and Darren Moore will have never doubted the Scot’s ability to enforce that order. Bannan; the leader of the pack.

Adeniran, handed the fillip of his first goal in Wednesday colours, said: “He is magic; that’s all I have to say about Baz.

“Since the first day I got here, he took me under his wing and I can learn a lot from him, on and off the ball.

“It’s about being calm. When everything is hectic, just have that assuredness about you. He has got that in abundance.”

As for his strike to settle the issue, with Rovers spurning the chance to reduce the arrears late on after fellow replacement Omar Bogle struck the post with a penalty, Adeniran continued: “It was a fantastic moment for me. I was trying to look for my girlfriend and my brother!

“It is the biggest crowd I have scored at and I enjoy pressure and want to put on a show.”

For most of the game, this was a derby with a small ‘d’. The pre-match spice of Darren Moore facing his former employers for the first time since his departure – amid much opprobrium from Rovers followers – did not serve up much pungency on the day.

Wednesday did what they had to do – en route to registering a 2-0 win as they did in their first home game of their last season in League One in 2011-12, a campaign which ended in promotion.

A much improved performance, far removed from their poor opening-day offering against AFC Wimbledon, provided Rovers with a modicum of solace at Hillsborough, but equally Wellens is no fool either.

He acknowledged that his side, who lacked punch and a clinical edge in the final third, are down on numbers. With several key attacking players sidelined, Rovers may have floated like a butterfly but they stung like one.

The visitors needed to strike first and unnerve a big home crowd and they couldn’t. With attacking options in his locker, Moore did not need to panic.

Dan Gardner and Tiago Cukur had first-half opportunities, while Kyle Knowle tested Bailey Peacock-Farrell before the interval.

But Wednesday – for whom Andre Green had a much better afternoon than seven days earlier – were secure in their knowledge that their chance would come and how Wellens would have loved to be able to call upon someone like Lee Gregory from the bench.

Lewis Wing and Green had opportunities as did the hard-working Florian Kamberi before Bannan’s touch of class which Wellens feared.

Few would have denied that Rovers, at 2-0 down late on, merited a consolation when the Owls were penalised after Knowle’s shot struck the hand of George Byers, but it was not to be.

Bogle hit the post, with Ben Close dragging the follow-up wide for Rovers, who suffered a second successive league loss and have won just twice in their past 18 league matches.

The major positive was perhaps the eye-catching performance of loan debutant Ethan Galbraith, who looked the part just a day after joining the club. Here was something, at least.

On the showing of the Manchester United youngster, admiring team-mate John Bostock said: “He came in on Friday and didn’t say a word and put on that performance on his professional debut.

“Remember, it was his professional debut at 20-years-old. It was a pleasure to play with him and he has got a massive future.

“I am glad we can have him here and he can learn. I loved playing with him; I really enjoyed it.

“I think that we can build something together and I think that he has a big part to play this season.”