Barry Bannan fires message to Sheffield Wednesday supporters after Luton Town blow | OneFootball

Sheffield Wednesday suffered their fourth defeat in five games as they were beaten 2-1 at Luton Town on Saturday.

Sheffield Wednesday captain Barry Bannan took to social media to share a message with supporters after his side's 2-1 defeat at Luton Town on Saturday, insisting that results will soon improve.

Wednesday secured survival in the Championship last season following a remarkable turnaround under Danny Rohl, and optimism was high heading into the new campaign after a strong summer transfer window.

The Owls got their season off to the perfect start with a 4-0 home win over Plymouth Argyle on the opening weekend, but they have found it much tougher since then, and they suffered their fourth defeat in five league games as they were beaten by the Hatters on Saturday.

After a dominant first half, Wednesday deservedly took the lead shortly after the break when Barry Bannan volleyed home from Yan Valery's cross, but the game changed in the 74th minute when Luton were awarded a penalty after Di'Shon Bernard was controversially adjudged to have handled the ball in the box, and the defender also received a red card.

Carlton Morris converted the resulting spot-kick and with just two minutes of normal time remaining, the striker added his second from close range to seal all three points for the Hatters.

It was a much-improved performance from the Owls, but they are now in the relegation zone, and it does not get much easier for them with a game against league leaders West Bromwich Albion to come at Hillsborough this weekend.

Barry Bannan issues positive Sheffield Wednesday message

In a post on social media, Bannan called for Wednesday supporters to stick together amid their poor run of form, and he said results will improve if they can maintain the performance level they showed against Luton.

"Tough one to take Saturday. Stick together and keep pushing results will come. Away end was brilliant thank you," Bannan wrote on Instagram.

It seems Bannan's view is shared by his manager, with Rohl claiming post-match on Saturday that the Owls did not deserve to lose the game and insisting that his side are heading in the right direction.

"The better team lost. The direction, the improvement is there. This was a step forward for what I want to see," Rohl told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"If we work this way we will get the points. Last week we had a 50-50 decision against us and we had a 50-50 decision against us today [for the penalty].

"When I looked to our box and we had a corner and two times Di’Shon (Bernard) goes down and there's nothing, it's a little bit hard to take.

"The players on the pitch should decide the game and not somebody else."

Sheffield Wednesday supporters should be optimistic despite Luton Town defeat

Wednesday will have been disappointed to come away from Kenilworth Road empty-handed on Saturday, but it is difficult to disagree with Rohl that his side deserved more, and a questionable refereeing decision was undoubtedly the turning point in the game.

The Owls dominated for long periods against a Luton side that are among the promotion favourites in the Championship this season, and that should give them confidence to take into the upcoming games.

Wednesday have tightened up defensively after conceding an alarming nine goals in three games in August, and while they need to be less wasteful in front of goal, they are at least creating more chances than they were in the first few weeks of the campaign.

It will be a tough test for the Owls against high-flying West Brom on Saturday, but they beat the Baggies 3-0 at home towards the back end of last season, and that should give them encouragement ahead of this weekend's clash.