Lions pride
By ALEX CROOK at the Vitality Stadium
MILLWALL’S play-off dreams were shattered in defeat at Bournemouth but boss Gary Rowett insisted he couldn’t be more proud.
The Lions needed a win and for Luton, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough to slip up to steal a top-six finish. But sub Kieffer
Moore’s 81st-minute winner put all that out the window.
Boss Rowett (below) said: “It’s been a tough season but the team find a way because it has got such character and such hunger and drive – and even today I think we’d given the game a really good go.
“We should all be very proud of what we’ve achieved. As a manager, I’m always going to be a little bit more miserable because I want to get into the top six, but I think for the players, they’ve given everything.”
Rowett’s job is to build on this relative success next season, but he faces losing big players such as Jed Wallace, Benik Afobe and Oliver Burke. Bournemouth, on the other hand, are planning to consolidate
their place back in the Premier League and boss Scott Parker believes the basis of that challenge will be his rock-solid defence.
Cherries keeper Mark Travers collected the golden gloves award for the most clean sheets in the Championship, and Parker’s side also conceded fewer than anyone else in the division.
Parker said: “I wanted to make sure that my team produced the performance objectives for the day. Can we get a clean sheet to be the team that have the most clean sheets in this division? Can we be the team that have conceded the least amount of goals? Can we be the team that have lost the least amount of games in this division, as well?
“One million percent we are going to need to build on that because we’re going into a division next year that is ruthless, is clinical. It’s another 10 steps up because the gap between the Championship and Premier League is vast.
“We’re going to need to build our game on a real solidness as a team, not just the keeper and back-four, really as a whole unit. We’re going to need to give ourselves a constant, solid foundation, so it puts us in good stead.
“We’re going to face some challenges.”
Millwall rarely troubled the Cherries after defender Shaun Hutchinson headed over when well-placed – and as they pushed forward looking for a goal they were caught out on 81 minutes as Moore raced clean through to fire home.