NO ONE WATCHES US.. WE DO CARE
Rowett: It’s horrible playing without fans
GARY ROWETT railed against the “horrible” atmosphere of restart football as Millwall’s promotion hopes suffered another blow.
The Lions have just one point from their two games back, slipping to five points off the play-off places after this stalemate at Barnsley.
Whether it is stirring up their own fans at the Den or silencing the jeers on their travels, the south Londoners are missing the noise.
“It’s been horrible,” said Rowett. “For me, it’s not like playing football.
“I’ve not enjoyed any of the process so far but somehow we’ve got to try to win games.
It shows how important the fans are for atmosphere and making the game real.
“You have a drinks break after a downpour. Totally unnecessary but we have to have it anyway.
“And all the substitutions make it so difficult to build momentum. But we have to make the best of it.”
Millwall face fellow play-off hopefuls Swansea tomorrow evening at the Den in what would normally be a fired-up affair.
But even with the sound of silence, Rowett (above) knows three points is vital to keep their alive their outside chances of a top-six finish.
“We need a big week,” he admitted. “We certainly need to win against Swansea. If we can, we give ourselves an opportunity. If we don’t, then it’s going to be very tough. We want to give ourselves a chance but long-term progress is just as important for us and I’ve got my eye on both.”
The point was not enough to stop Barnsley from sinking back to the foot of the table with Luton’s shock win at Swansea.
Time is running out but four points from their two games since football returned and two clean sheets after leaking goals earlier in the season has given Gerhard Struber’s team some hope.
Blackburn visit Oakwell tomorrow and defender Ben Williams said: “We’re picking up results and we fancy our chances to stay in this league.”