NO DEN-TING THE PLAY-OFF DREAM
MILLWALL boss Neil Harris called on his team to continue their ‘miraculous’ form at Ipswich on Monday after Friday’s comfortable win over Nottingham Forest stretched their unbeaten run to 13 games.
Harris’s side have launched a late bid for the play-offs by becoming the Championship’s form outfit, and marched on thanks to first-half goals from Shaun Williams and Lee Gregory, which were enough to see off a poor Forest outfit.
And the Millwall manager insisted that his players have the focus to turn their play-off dream into a reality.
“We just focus one game at a time,” he said.
“It helps having no pressure on us. Even after Friday, it’s just roll on to the next one – roll onto Monday!
“All the boys care about is beating Ipswich on Monday. Straight after the game, they were high-fiving, cuddling each other, and then straight away, it’s Monday now.
“Let’s go and beat Ipswich, let’s go and get seven away wins in a row – that’s the focus of the group.
“Are the play-offs a reality? Well, at the moment they are. We’ve had to work long and hard in this unbeaten run – unbeaten since New Year’s Day – but we’ve still got seven more to go.
“What we’ve achieved so far has been miraculous but I want more from the players.”
Friday’s win keeps Millwall in the top-six hunt and victory never really looked in doubt after they took the lead inside 30 seconds, the third time in four games they have scored in the first minute.
Ben Marshall found a yard to cross and delivered the perfect ball right onto the head of Williams to power home.
Forest, who haven’t scored in four games, were allowed plenty of the ball but did nothing with it, although Barrie McKay ought to have equalised when Ben Watson’s speculative drive broke to him eight yards out, only to lift the ball over.
When the home side doubled their advantage shortly after the halfhour mark, it was thoroughly deserved.
Again, Marshall was the architect, floating a cross to the far post, where Steve Morison was unmarked. The Millwall captain nodded it back across goal for Gregory, who kept calm, took a touch, and slotted home.
Forest continued to dominate possession after the break but with no creativity, were reduced to hopeful shots from distance.
When they did force Jordan Archer into a save, Apostolos Vellios somehow managed to send the rebound over the bar from five yards.
Manager Aitor Karanka slammed his players’ lack off desire after the game and urged them to earn their places at the club in the final seven games of the season, starting on Monday’s game against Barnsley.
He said: “If someone in the changing room thinks we are playing for nothing these seven games, it’s completely wrong.
“With me, everybody has to go to the pitch wanting to win every single game. We have 25 players and they’re going to tell me who wants to be here next season.
“It’s impossible to make more changes. I changed four players. I finished with three at the back and two up front.
“We played with two up front against Sheffield United. I’ve tried everything.”