Plymouth Argyle will pose the first challenge for Sheffield Wednesday this Sunday as the Owls aim to compete at the top of the Championship table. Recent months have seen significant changes at Sheffield Wednesday, with new players, a revamped playing style, and heightened expectations setting the stage for a promising season.
While change is a constant at the start of any campaign, the summer of 2024 has been notably transformative at S6, though not as turbulent as the previous year. Unlike the chaotic summer of 2023, the team now appears more settled and prepared to contend with stronger opponents. Last season, Wednesday endured their worst-ever start to a league campaign under Xisco, with the turmoil extending until Danny Röhl took over in mid-October. From that point, the team’s fortunes dramatically improved, earning enough points to have finished eighth in the league from Röhl’s first match at Watford.
Barry Bannan, who has experienced the highs and lows at S6 for nearly a decade, knows the challenges of the Championship well. He anticipates a tough match against Plymouth Argyle but is grateful to be starting the season at a lively Hillsborough.
“It’s going to be another tough game,” Bannan told The Star. “Every game in the Championship is hard. They’ve got a new manager, so everyone will be out to impress. It’s the first game of the season, it’s on Sky, so they’ll be looking forward to it, but so are we. We’re lucky to be playing at home with this fan base behind us. I can’t wait now. Pre-season can get a bit boring, and we just want to get to the business side of things.”
With the team well-prepared after weeks of intense training and friendly matches, Bannan is confident that they can avoid the pitfalls of last season and start on the right foot.
“We’ve done all the 45 or 60 minutes of build-up, and now it’s 90 minutes, full-throttle,” he said. “It’s been a long six weeks of playing friendlies and running, but we’re ready to get going now. I’m delighted we’re at home in front of Sky. We want to get off to a good start because last season, that’s what killed us. We don’t want to be chasing our tails again.”