Millwall manager Gary Rowett claimed his team appeared tense and nervous during their 2-2 draw against Birmingham City over the weekend. The hosts took the lead shortly after halftime thanks to a Juninho Bacuna strike in the 47th minute, only for Oliver Burke to equalize in the 68th.
The Blues subsequently took the lead with ten minutes remaining thanks to a Lyle Taylor penalty, only for Benik Afobe to equalize in the 98th minute, again from a penalty. Rowett stated after the game that his team was not at their best as they chased a play-off position.
“We’re not the type of team that can go out there and confidently moves the ball around.” We must strive to do everything well. We appeared a little tense, a little nervous.
“I can sort of see that, but if you want to go into the top six, you have to control your emotions and show that bit of calm at the proper time.”
“Look around the division, look around the results. So many teams aren’t achieving their goals at the end of the season.” Millwall now lie in seventh in the Championship table, three points behind Sheffield United in sixth. And, despite scoring five points out of a possible nine since the start of the Easter weekend, it may not be enough for the London club to win the league. With only two games remaining, the Lions will face Peterborough United, who Rowett believes will give them a challenging game.
“We’re still in there,” says the narrator. “We’re four games unbeaten now, and our home form has been fantastic,” Rowett added. We’re up against a Peterborough side that was relegated earlier today. All we have to do now is go out and take care of business.
“It will not be an easy game; it will be a difficult game, but we must go out and perform.” We’ll look at the results and see where we stand if we win that game. “We realize it’s out of our control to some extent, but you know what, I can’t blame the players’ effort.”
The fans rallied magnificently behind us. At the very least, they’ve seen a team fighting till the end of the season and attempting to keep the season alive as long as possible, “says the coach. Millwall’s performance against Birmingham on Saturday was poor.
Dropping points to a team sitting just above the relegation zone is far from ideal, given their recent form and position in the race for a playoff spot. Despite this, the Lions are still in the race, trailing Sheffield United by only three points. They can’t afford to make a mistake against Peterborough United at home on Saturday.
