Lions probe allegation of racist abuse
The win against out-of-sorts Bristol City maintained Sheffield Wednesday’s unlikely promotion charge.They made it six games unbeaten as they try to keep up with the breakneck pace being set byWest Brom and Leeds.
However, there is still plenty of uncertainty over Wednesdsay’s ultimate fate, with the Football League having charged them with an alleged breach of their profitability and sustainability rules that could lead to a points deduction.
Monk said: “We’re aware of it – I spoke to the players on the first day it came out. I have experience at Birmingham from dealing with that type of thing and it doesn’t stop us training every day as hard as we can, wanting to win matches and trying to win matches.”
But the mood could not be more buoyant at Hillsborough after a dramatic win, secured after Tommy Rowe was judged to have wrestled Atdhe Nuhiu to the ground as he left the area seven minutes from time.
City keeper Daniel Bentley was booked for trying to put Bannan off but the Scotland international made no mistake, rolling a coolly-taken penalty into the bottom left-hand corner. City boss Lee Johnson said: “It was definitely not a pen. The referee’s got sucked into it, really.
“Arguably, it’s not even in the box but it was just a coming together with the ball spinning away. That’s what’s disappointing. If we had got a point, that would have been something to build on. But a third party has got them that.”
Not until Liam Palmer nodded off the line from former Owl Jack Hunt’s 56th-minute header did City look capable of ending a worrying run that now stretches to three straight losses.
Wednesday also had an effort scrambled off the line, when Palmer’s terrific volley was blocked by a combination of Bentley and Korey Smith midway through the first half.
But the hosts grew stronger as the game wore on, with Bannan ever influential. And a couple of minutes before his goal, Bannan unleashed a brilliant free-kick from the edge of the area that Bentley did well to keep out, diving sharply to his left. SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY (4-3-3): Dawson 7; L Palmer 8, Iorfa 6, Lees 6, Fox 7 (Borner 30, 6); Reach 7, Luongo 7 (Pelupessy 89), Bannan 9; Rhodes 6 (Winnall 76), Nuhiu 7, Harris 7. Goal: Bannan 85 pen.
BRISTOL CITY (5-3-2): Bentley 9; Hunt 7 (Eliasson 60, 6), Kalas 7, Williams 6, Moore 6, Rowe 5 (Semenyo 85); Brownhill 5, Smith 7, O’Dowda 6; Weimann 5 (K Palmer 60, 6), Diedhiou 6.
MILLWALL say they will issue a lifetime ban to any fan found guilty of racism after a Barnsley player was abused as the Lions lost 2-1 at The Den. The club say they are working with their security team, Barnsley and the police to identify the fan, who was in one of the home sections.
“Any individual found guilty of racist abuse at The Den is immediately issued with a lifetime ban and also offered the opportunity to attend Millwall’s Fan Diversity Scheme,” Millwall said in a club statement.The Lions launched a campaign in February called ‘Hear The Hate? Don’t hesitate’, urging their own fans to report any incidents of racial abuse at games.
A Barnsley statement said: “We have no doubt the staff at The Den are treating this incident with the severity required.” Tykes head coach Gerhard
Struber believes the changes he has put in place since taking over are already paying off after Patrick Schmidt’s late winner lifted Barnsley off the bottom of the Championship table.
Struber said: “We grow up step by step and we are making the right progress.
“It is important that we work very hard together.”