Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore has revealed that he opted against starting Barry Bannan in last night's clash with Peterborough United due to the fact that the midfielder didn't train on Monday and was exhausted following last weekend's win over Charlton Athletic.

Bannan was replaced in the 80th minute of his side's meeting with the Addicks which was played in sweltering conditions at Hillsborough.

Although the midfielder was included in Wednesday's match-day squad for their meeting with Peterborough, he was not deployed as a substitute in this fixture.

The Owls suffered their first league defeat of the 2022/23 campaign at the Weston Homes Stadium.

Moore's side were reduced to ten men in the 34th minute of this fixture as Reece James was dismissed for a reckless challenge on Joe Ward.

Following the break, Jonson Clarke-Harris opened the scoring for Peterborough as he headed past Wednesday goalkeeper David Stockdale.

Posh effectively sealed all three points when Jack Taylor doubled their advantage in the 75th minute.

Following his side's 2-0 defeat, Moore explained why he opted against utilising Bannan against Peterborough.

Speaking in his post-match press conference (as cited by Yorkshire Live), Moore said: "The heat on Saturday left the players' energy levels low.

"Barry Bannan suffered from a bit of heat exhaustion on Saturday.

"He didn't train yesterday."

The Verdict

With Moore opting against taking a risk on Bannan in this fixture, he would have been hoping to see his players deliver the goods in yesterday's fixture.

However, Wednesday's chances of securing a positive result on their travels were effectively ended when James was shown a red card.

The Owls will be looking to bounce back from this setback when they take on Bolton Wanderers on Saturday.

For Wednesday's sake, they may need Bannan to make his return to action in this fixture in order to have a chance of sealing victory as the Trotters have accumulated eight points from their opening four league fixtures.

Having provided 21 direct goal contributions in the third-tier during the previous campaign, the 32-year-old will be confident in his ability to deliver an eye-catching performance this weekend if he is fit enough to feature.