Barry Bannan showed his appreciation for Bolton Wanderers prior to last weekend's meeting with his current club Sheffield Wednesday.

The former Wanderers man has been an Owls player since 2015, with him racking up over 250 appearances in a Wednesday shirt.

He has been a crucial figure for them in the middle of the park, over the last six years.

Last Saturday saw him face up against his old club at Hillsborough and it was the home side who narrowly came out on top - Lee Gregory's goal winning it 1-0 for the hosts.

And, while Bannan was aiming to get one over on Bolton during those 90 minutes, they are a club he has a lot of respect and time for.

The midfielder played 16 times for Wanderers in 2014/15, on loan from Premier League side Crystal Palace.

That following summer, after an impressive temporary spell, Wednesday snapped him up on a one-year deal.

On reflection, Bannan feels those three months were extremely important - and he has been impressed by Ian Evatt's men too.

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Speaking to the Owls' match day programme, he said: "Bolton are doing pretty well this season.

"I know the manager very well, who is an ex-teammate of mine.

"I've obviously been at Bolton so I follow their results, they are flying high when there is probably not much expected of them.

"But they are a big club in this league and are full of confidence.

"I was at Bolton before in my career and had a good time there, they were brilliant for me and if it wasn't for them I probably wouldn't have got to Wednesday, because I did half a season there and did well.

"I then ended up signing here, so I owe a lot to them."