Just like pre-season for Barry Bannan and Sheffield Wednesday

The Owls have had one week back at Middlewood Road since the coronavirus pandemic but unlike their Premier League counterparts, can only train in small, social-distancing groups.

Players also have to go through a Covid-19 test routine before even being allowed in.

“It is a bit strange when you get to the training ground and the rules are pretty strict,” said Scottish midfielder Bannan. “You go in individually and the doctor will come over and take your temperature. We were given a coronavirus test kit on Monday to do in our own cars before entering the training ground and that will be the routine until we’re told otherwise.

“It takes five to 10 minutes maximum before you can get out of the car and go onto the field to start training.”

The last round of Championship games was on March 7/8, and when the next will be is unknown, but with the Football League keen to complete the season, including play-offs, and saying it needs to do so by July 31, players must quickly get up to speed. All Championship teams have nine matches to play.

“The only way you can describe it really is like it’s coming back into pre-season,” said Bannan. “You can’t get too close to anyone but we know the circumstances and understand the situation.

“We had gone nine weeks without training and you have to build back up. I spent time with my family but then after a while you miss that competitiveness of training and your daily routine.

“We’re training in groups of four and I’ve got some really good runners in mine!

“Every group gets their results in the group chat afterwards with all the running stats and they’ve been good, which just shows the professionalism of all the boys.”

Wednesday are 15th in the table, eight points off the play-offs and nine above the relegation zone. That ought to guarantee an uneventful end to the season, but they still have a potential points deduction hanging over them with a misconduct charge over the way the sale and lease-back of Hillsborough was carried out still to be heard.

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