Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Barry Bannan has insisted that the Owls are still fighting for their lives on the field and face a massive challenge in their remaining matches.

Bannan managed to reach a landmark against Watford on Good Friday with him having made his 250th appearance for the Owls as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at Vicarage Road. The 31-year-old recently signed a new deal to commit his future to the club. That shows he is committed to the cause of trying to keep the club in the division, and if not helping them bounce back from League One.

Sheffield Wednesday were not able to mark the midfielder’s big day by securing a much-needed result at Watford, with Darren Moore’s side undone by an own goal from Tom Lees in the first half and unable to get back into the contest. That coupled with Birmingham City’s win against Swansea City later that day leaves the Owls with a mountain to climb in the last eight matches.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield, via Sheffield Star, Bannan remarked on his pride for reaching 250 games for the Owls. He also insisted that whilst he has not been enjoying the club’s predicament this term the players are continuing to try and fight to keep the club in the Championship.

He said: “It’s a massive honour for me to play that amount of games for this club.

“It’s a massive club, I love the club and to reach that milestone is great. It’s something I’ll probably look back on when I retire more so than now, but it’s a great honour and hopefully there are many more for me to come.

“That’s the way it goes at football clubs, you have ups and downs (on the Owls’ current struggles this season).

“At the minute it’s a bit of a low and we’re fighting or our lives, but it’s a challenge and it’s something you’ve got to face.

“I’m not saying I’m enjoying it, I’d sooner but up there at the top end of the table obviously, but I’ve enjoyed my time here and long may it continue. I’ve loved it since I came in from day one here and we’ve got a big, big eight games to go.”

The verdict

Bannan has been a reliable servant at Hillsborough and it is a major achievement for him to have managed to make as many appearances as he has done for the club. The midfielder has seen it all pretty much now with the club, from promotion heartache with defeats in play-off finals and semi-finals to watching the side now be on the brink of relegation to the third tier.

The midfielder is right that there still seems to be some fight left in the squad, which was on show at times during the narrow loss at in-form promotion-chasing Watford on Friday. However, some supporters will be questioning whether that level of fight has been on display throughout the season and in certain matches that were allowed to drift by them.

It seems like a very difficult task for them now to stay up and they will need to put together the sort of run we have not seen from them all season. However, Bannan seems to be at least one player that will be trying to motivate the rest of the squad to have a real go at trying to get them out of the precarious position that they are in the table.