Barry Bannan has been proven right in face of nay-sayers - now Sheffield Wednesday must finish the job at Sunderland

He speaks well, he’s done it countless times over his storied career and he talks with a passion about the club few could match. His standing at the club speaks for itself but when Bannan speaks, people listen. And he means what he says.

But when he spoke about his confidence in Wednesday bouncing back from their lowest moments in a topsy-turvy campaign, the comments drew a private doubt or two from those present. After Huddersfield, after Ipswich, after Middlesbrough, the message was always set around proving doubters wrong. He felt Wednesday would be there or thereabouts at the end of the season. Few truly agreed.

On one occasion, after Boro, a smile drew across the 34-year-old’s face when reminded that ‘people’ were writing them off again. He wasn’t the only one to claim survival this season would be a greater pound-for-pound achievement than last year’s May Miracle and given the depth of lows he and his teammates have had to contend with at times, few would disagree.

Speaking on Monday at The Star Sports Awards from which he collected the Owls player of the year gong, his passion to complete the job was clear. A point will do it up at Sunderland, but in-form Wednesday are planning to take all three.

Bannan said: “I love scoring or assisting but I could play my worst game in a Sheffield Wednesday shirt on Saturday and as long as we get the point or three points that gets us over the line I'm not really bothered. It's another big game. Over my Sheffield Wednesday career the last six or seven weeks, they've all been massive, massive games. It's just another one and the mentality in that changing room at the minute is really, really strong. It's really, really good.

“We've suffered a lot this season and we've bounced back. The confidence is sky high and we've got the mentality to keep the club in the league. You could see it on Saturday that everybody was putting their bodies on the line for the club and trying to keep it in this league and I'm sure you'll see that again on Saturday.”

Speaking to reporters who admit there were times they thought his side would be long-since decided by now, there was no sense of jovial ‘I told you so’ from Barry Bannan, just a steely determination. Perhaps that one can wait. Should Saturday go Wednesday’s way, you’d forgive him for doing so.