Stoke City boss Gary Rowett has been effusive in his praise of one Sheffield Wednesday player this weekend, referring to him as a magician after their 2-2 draw at Hillsborough.

Stoke raced into an early two-goal lead, with Benik Afobe hitting a brace within the first twenty-two minutes. Marco Matias pulled one back for the hosts on 24 minutes, but then the scoring stopped until just eight minutes from time.

It was Barry Bannan who finally levelled for the home side, his fine free kick curled into the top corner in front of the home Kop. Having already provided the assist for Matias, it drew a gushing response from the former Derby manager.

"Barry Bannan has shown what a little magician he can be at times," the Stoke manager is reported as saying in the Star. "There is probably only him on the pitch who can score that."

It wasn't just the goal Rowett admired, but also the 50-yard ball for Matias' goal, another stroke of magic from the Scottish midfielder.

"What you don't want to do at the point, when you're so dominant away from home, is give the opposition and the crowd a lift and a lifeline. That's exactly what we did. Barry Bannan on the ball ... you can't allow him to play a ball over the top."

The Verdict

Bannan is definitely a key player for the Owls and he showed it once again with a display that earned his side a point.

They're fighting hard against adversity at Hillsborough and doing a fine job of it. Without a strong summer they've managed to put themselves in the top ten, which is a real testament to Jos Luhukay's qualities as a coach.

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