Bannan urges Sheffield Wednesday fans to help club come back from 'rock bottom' after administration
After months of uncertainty, Sheffield Wednesday entered administration on Friday, resulting in a deduction of 12 points by the EFL.
Barry Bannan has called upon Sheffield Wednesday supporters to help the club come back from "rock bottom" after the club entered administration on Friday.
The Owls confirmed that they had appointed administrators, with Henrik Pedersen's team also deducted 12 points, leaving them at the bottom of the Championship on minus six.
The EFL had also previously charged the club with multiple breaches of regulations after they failed to pay players' wages on time.
Wednesday's financial issues under former owner Dejphon Chansiri have been well-documented, with reports that a winding-up order from HMRC was imminent.
Now, a notice to appoint an administrator has been filed at the Insolvency and Companies Court, which is a specialist court within the High Court.
Wednesday are understood to owe in the region of £1m to HMRC in unpaid tax. This is believed to be the catalyst for finally applying for administration.
Amid an unsettling period both on and off the pitch, Wednesday supporters chose to boycott their most recent second-tier fixture against Middlesbrough earlier in the week.
However, news of Chansiri's exit sparked queues at the Hillsborough ticket office and the club shop as fans immediately ended the boycott aimed at forcing the Thai owner out.
Seats spelling out Chansiri's name in the North Stand at Hillsborough were also ripped out, as the focus turned to securing new ownership.
The Owls are back at home this weekend as they face Oxford United, and Wednesday captain Barry has urged fans to back the team during these testing times.
"We've known for a while that this could be the route that it was going to go down," Bannan told BBC Radio Sheffield.
"Obviously, it's a sad day for the club. First and foremost, you don't really want to be going into administration,
"As a group of players, it's made our task harder this season as well, so it was hard news to take, but this needed to happen; we couldn't keep going on the way it was going on.
"The task becomes bigger, but I think for the club going forward, it's probably the right thing that's happened.
"Sometimes you have to reach rock bottom to come back again. And if there was ever a club that could do it, it’s this club, because the fan base we’ve got is amazing."
Wednesday boss Pedersen echoed the sentiments of Bannan and remained optimistic about what lies ahead for the club.
"I'm 100% convinced Sheffield Wednesday will have a bright future," Pedersen added.
"To have a full Hillsborough – wow, it would be amazing. We can all be together again and support each other. We can make a fantastic experience together again."
