359: Barry Bannan, Sheffield Wednesday, Panini EFL 2025/26 Sticker Collection

Our 399th post comes from Mat Jolin-Beech and goes some way to explain his absence from our upcoming 400th post. In the past Mat has given us a taste of his travel adventures with trips to Japan, South Korea and Singapore with accompanying tenuous links to football stickers. This time he’s taking it to strange new places. Over to Mat.

Inspiration can come in many forms. Especially on a blog like this. We’ve delved into childhood heroes. And villains. Schoolboy Sunday league careers. First matches. Last matches. But this must be a new one. A metro line. Now, let me give you some context as to how an urban public transport line links with the now-Millwall player, Barry Bannan.

It all started back at the end of 2025 - remember that? My wife was heading on holiday to Taiwan when, actually still in Heathrow, she completely ruptured her Achilles tendon. Yet, not knowing the full extent of the injury, she flew with her mum to Taiwan. The day after they landed, she, somehow, walked for four miles on it. I genuinely don’t know how. 

A couple of days later, she’d gone to hospital, thinking something’s not right, but they’ll probably give me a boot and tell me to rest. The next thing she knew, she was scheduled for emergency surgery in the hospital in Taichung. As an aside, she’d done such a good job of rupturing it, she was asked to be a case study for a medical paper. 

Upon hearing this, and after a six hour hold with the insurance company, I’d arranged a flight out to be there, help, and deal with the paperwork side of things. One thirteen hour flight later, and a two hour taxi ride from Taipei airport to Taichung, I was there. Although the next morning jet lag hit hard and I slept through my alarm and almost missed the opportunity to get her discharged.

Fast forward about a week, the cast was taken off, stitches removed, and a sexy boot put on her foot. No weight bearing for a couple of months, and recovery expected to be 6-12 months post-op. Also, that vacated boot has better be bloody good. It cost us, well the insurance company, £1200. The most expensive bit of footwear I’ve ever seen!

We jumped into a taxi to leave Taichung, she’d been there nearly three weeks at this point and needed a change of scenery, to head to Taipei. While there, and borrowing hotel wheelchairs, we ventured out into the city to at least try and do something resembling a holiday. And rather than rely on taxis, we decided to venture into the metro system. Cue the blue line on the map - or the Bannan line. I chuckled to myself and said “Barry Bannan” to blank looks.

This was, for the record, as we headed to Taipei 101 to look and photograph the architecture there, only to find there was a Pet Expo going, and the area was swarmed by cats and dogs. And a woman casually walking down the street with a snake around her neck.

Anyway, I’d better touch on Barry Bannan or you’ll think you’ve wandered into a travel blog and not an irreverent football sticker one.  He came through the academy at Celtic and Aston Villa. Loan spells followed, and a short stint with Crystal Palace, followed by another loan then the start of an eleven year stint with Sheffield Wednesday. That only came to an end recently, with a move to Millwall after he was unsure about his future at Hillsborough, with the Yorkshire club in administration. 

So yeah. Inspiration can come at you at any time, from anywhere. And here you have a tenuous link to a Scottish midfielder and a metro line in Taipei. You’re welcome.