Physically, they couldn’t be more different.
One is a 6ft 2in Brummie, a former centre-half who wouldn’t look out of place at the door of a nightclub. The other is a wee Scottish guy who’s built like the side of a fiver but with a wand of a left foot. Chalk and cheese doesn’t quite cover it. But together? Darren Moore and Barry Bannan are a force to be reckoned with. And the strength of their bond isn’t just about manager and player.
It symbolises much more than that. Their connection goes beyond football. It’s man to man. One human being to another. When Bannan addressed his Sheffield Wednesday team-mates after their epic League One play-off semi-final miracle against Peterborough, his words came from the heart. He didn’t do it to curry favour with his boss who, just days before, had been the victim of vile racist abuse. And it wasn’t him getting carried away in the ecstasy of a penalty shoot-out win that defied all odds.
Bannan did it because he cares. And because - irrespective of their appearance, background, physique or colour of skin - they’re the same. Same values, same morals, same standards, same respect. And the same will to win that both hope will come to the fore at Wembley on Monday afternoon.
Bannan will lead out Sheffield Wednesday as captain against Barnsley in the play-off final, with promotion to the Championship up for grabs. And Moore will be in the dugout hoping to somehow top that memorable win over Peterborough.
As he reflected on the achievement, and what it meant to them both, Bannan told Record Sport : “The gaffer has been through a lot in the last eight weeks. We were in first place in the league and he was the best manager in the world.
“Everyone loved him and said he was doing an amazing job. But after a sticky patch he got hammered. Kicked from pillar to post. And then he got racist abuse.
“He’s a big, strong man. But it doesn’t matter how strong you are when things like that happen. It affects you. I’ve had things said about me as well, so I know. Everyone says they don’t see it but they do.
“It must have been a hard time for him, especially the week leading up to the second leg against Peterborough. Some of the stick that we took was crazy.
“So when I talked to the players in the dressing-room afterwards that was just a bit of emotion coming out after the game. I wanted to do it for the gaffer and felt that it was the right time to say it. Hopefully, it showed our togetherness and unity as a group at Wednesday.
“Away from management completely, as a person, the gaffer is one of the nicest guys you’ll meet in football. He’s big on speaking about how you’re doing in life, mentally. In terms of your family and things away from the game.
“He’s huge on that. You can go to him with anything and he’ll always open his door to speak to you. He’s one of the best people I’ve ever come across in football. So for him to be the leader of what we achieved that night, it was brilliant to see. He deserved it.”
But surely if Wednesday go up, no one will be more deserving than Bannan? After relegation to League One two years ago, everyone in football felt he had to move on.
He’s too good for the division, they said. And he had options to play at a higher level. He risked his reputation by staying at Hillsborough but knows victory at Wembley will make it all worthwhile.
The Scotland midfielder said: “I’ve taken a few gambles by staying here when I could probably have moved if I’d wanted to. Once or twice I’ve thought about it. But I just find myself going back to the fact that I love playing in front of big crowds.
“I could go to teams in the Championship who don’t get anywhere near the crowd that Sheffield Wednesday get. So is it really worth it at 33? I want to play at that level and test myself further before I finish up. But I’m playing at a club that have 30,000 people turning up at a massive stadium.
“It’s hard to leave that. Do you want to go higher but only play in front of 10,000 or 12,000? Or do you want to play in front of a crowd that expects?
“I remember speaking to Gary Hooper when he came to Sheffield Wednesday. He’d previously left Celtic for Norwich – and instantly regretted it. The money was probably better but he was playing in front of 20,000 at Carrow Road compared to 60,000 at Celtic Park.
“At Norwich if you win you win, if you lose you lose – it doesn’t really matter. That’s not the way football should be. It should always matter.
“You get that from pressure and expectation, which comes from supporters. I’ve got that here. That’s why I’ve stuck around for so long. The reason this club means so much to me is the love I was shown when I first got here. Growing up at Aston Villa, having loan moves, then going to Crystal Palace – I was never really loved by the fans.
“But when I came here, something just clicked. They took to me from day one and next year will be my ninth season. They show me love in every single game. They’ve taken me to their hearts and that’s been the biggest thing for me. There’s such a strong connection there.”
That will be cemented forever if Bannan can deliver on his promise of taking the Owls back to the Championship. And he won’t just have the backing of Sheffield Wednesday supporters tomorrow.
A squad of his Scottish family and friends are probably on their way down to London just now. And Bannan won’t be content unless he sends them back up the road happy.
He said: “It would mean everything to get the job done. I’ve been to Wembley a few times, with Scotland, Blackpool and Wednesday.
“But this is completely different because I’m captain. It’s a big occasion for me, to lead a team out at Wembley. It will be the best day of my life.
“But it will only be topped off if I can lift the trophy. It’s been manic with ticket requests. It’s all the Scottish mob, as you can imagine. I’m up to about 50-odd already. A wee guy from Coatbridge leading Sheffield Wednesday out at Wembley. It’s amazing.
“If anyone doubted me or wondered why I wanted to stay, hopefully winning on Monday will be my vindication. I said as we got relegated I’d make it my personal thing to get the club back up.
“You need help because it’s not a one-man game. But I was always going to push the squad of players around me to get promoted.
“So it’s a massive game, for me and the club. You don’t want to rot in this league for too long. Because it gets harder and harder as the years go by.
“You have to try and get out as soon as possible. And if you do then anything can happen. When you get winning momentum, anything is possible.”
READ NEXT
