Barry Bannan makes Sheffield United fan point amid Sheffield Wednesday exit, Millwall transfer admission
Barry Bannan is under no illusions as to the type of reception he will receive from the travelling Sheffield United fans if, as expected, he makes his Millwall debut this weekend. The former Scottish international sealed a move to the Lions earlier this week from the Blades’ arch-rivals, Wednesday.
Bannan’s decade-long association with the Owls came to an end when Millwall paid an undisclosed fee for his services to boost their promotion push, delivering another real blow to Wednesday amid their season of struggle.
United chief Chris Wilder is on record as a fan of Bannan as a player, despite their cross-city differences, and will likely comment on the latest meeting with the 36-year-old in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning.
The Blades travel to The Den looking to put a pin in the balloon of their hosts, who hammered Charlton 4-0 at the weekend and are fifth in the Championship, and also keep their positive momentum going after beating Ipswich Town 3-1 last time out.
But the presence of Bannan in the opposition squad will add another dimension to an intriguing clash in South East London. “Coming down to Millwall, it’s always intimidating when you’re on the other team,” Bannan said in his first interview as a Lions player.
“And I’ve been on the wrong end of backlash from the Millwall fans before. But I think they’ll need to help me on Saturday, because I think the Sheff U fans will give me a nice welcome. So it’d be nice to get a bit of support from the Millwall fans for once in my career.”
Bannan makes the move having played 30 times for the Owls this season and will be looking for a first league win against the Blades in his career. He was part of the Aston Villa side that won 3-1 at Bramall Lane in the FA Cup back in 2011.
But he has lost seven and drawn two of his meetings with the Blades since, across spells at Derby County, Blackpool, Leeds United and Wednesday, and will be keen to put that right as he looks to further his ambition of a recall to the Scotland squad ahead of the World Cup.
“I’ve never given up,” he admitted. “I’ve never retired from Scotland so obviously at a team that is chasing to get into the Premier League, which Millwall are, then that’s only going to boost my chances.
“But first of all I need to force my way into the team by training hard and if I get a chance, putting the performances in. My main focus at the minute is obviously getting myself in this Millwall team and trying to stay in there, and whatever comes from that comes from it.
“I’ve obviously played a lot of games this season, and I feel good. It’s been a busy last couple of days for me, mentally and emotionally. But we have a day off [on Wednesday] to rest and let it all sink in, and then come Thursday I’ll be raring to go.”
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