TOM Bradshaw said “shock” was his overriding feeling when he completed his sensational 25-minute hat-trick against Watford last season.
A little over a year ago the Welsh striker single-handedly ripped the Hornets apart in a first-half melee between the eighth and 33rd minute, sparking him into his best goalscoring season in a Lions shirt. He would grab 17 goals by the end of the Championship campaign.
It was his first Millwall hat-trick and fans heading to Vicarage Road will be praying they see a similar one-man show today.
Goals haven’t been as easy to come by for Bradshaw so far in this campaign but he’s confident that he can get his “groove” now he’s put some niggling injuries behind him.
He told NewsAtDen: “There’s been ups and downs [this season] so far. I’ve had a couple of injuries which have been frustrating and I probably haven’t had the sort of chances or goals that I would have liked so far.
“But that sometimes happens with stuttered starts and little injuries. So I’m really hoping to get into a little groove now that I’m back fit and playing regularly.
“I felt like I’ve been playing well. It’s always the case where if you have a good goal-scoring season last season then your card is marked slightly more for the season following. But I’m fully confident that I’ll be back into the goalscoring swing and there’s no reason why I can’t replicate what I did last year.”
Bradshaw can take inspiration from his exploits on October 19, 2022 when he gave The Den a performance to remember against Watford.
His first goal was the pick of the bunch – a wonderful curling volley that bent away from goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann.
His second and third goals were strangely similar, with long balls launched from free-kicks on the half-way line landing for Jake Cooper.
Both times the ball eventually found its way to Bradshaw – Mason Bennett took the assist for the second – and the 31-year-old’s razor-sharp finishing saw him claim the match ball by the 33rd minute.
Remembering the match, Bradshaw said: “It was a bit of a whirlwind to be honest. I scored the third goal in about the 32nd minute so yeah it was a mad half hour. When the third one hit the back of the net, I think it was more shock than anything. It’s something you hope for as a player but you don’t really expect to score a first half hat-trick. Yeah it was an incredible feeling and it was one of the highlights of my Millwall career.”
Today’s match, where Bradshaw is set to make his 175th club appearance, will be the third without manager Gary Rowett as the Millwall hierarchy continue to try and find his permanent replacement.
Bradshaw says he has nothing but “fond memories” of Rowett and thinks his former boss should be proud of his legacy at the club.
He said: “He was here for a very long time. He was probably the longest-serving manager I’ve had in my career. You get to know managers personally when they’re here for that long and it’s nothing but fond memories for me.
“I think he did he a great job whilst he was at the helm of Millwall. We finished in the top ten every season bar one he was here. To compete at that level and fall just short of the play-offs on three occasions out of four seasons, I think that’s great credit to him and the direction that he was taking the team.
“He was really composed and he filled people with confidence. And that for me never went away. He was a manager you could rely on and his record at Millwall speaks for itself and my first impressions, that he was going to direct us in the right direction, were pretty accurate.
“He should look back and be really proud of what he achieved at Millwall.”
Caretaker boss Adam Barrett has added Aidomo Emakhu, who celebrated his 20th birthday on Thursday, to the attack in his first two games in charge.
The Irishman played just off Bradshaw in the 1-1 draw at Preston North End before he was shifted to the wide left position for the 2-1 defeat against Blackburn Rovers.
Bradshaw sees plenty of potential in the youngster and drew parallels between their upbringings from outside London.
He said: “He’s a really good player. He has great natural attributes, he’s really quick, he’s powerful and he’s direct and that’s something that really works well for the team. Just having that natural pace is great on counter-attacks and it always provides a threat. He took his first start really well and he’ll be chomping on the bit to follow that up with more good performances.
“He’s a really humble, well-mannered lad really. He’s from Ireland. Myself coming from Wales, I think when you’re not from cities like London, I think coming to the big city it can be daunting but he’s taken it in his stride. He’s a really humble lad and I’m over the moon for him.”