JED Wallace insists last season’s performances under Gary Rowett and their challenge for the top six has made them “hungry” to push on and go one step better.
Millwall face Crawley in the first round of the EFL Cup this Saturday, and Rowett intends to use it as a dress rehearsal for the opening game of the Championship campaign against Stoke the following weekend.
However, Rowett will be without Shane Ferguson and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, who are away on international duty. Troy Parrott will also have to wait for his competitive debut after picking up a quad injury against Southend last weekend. Jiri Skalak limp out of the warm-up against Crystal Palace in midweek, and another right wing-back option, Mahlon Romeo, may not be risked.
Millwall’s players only had three weeks off this summer, but Wallace – who was kept busy looking after his two young children with his partner – isn’t bothered about the shortened break.
“Normally in pre-season you enjoy the first couple of weeks and then you’re raring to get back anyway,” Wallace said.
“I chilled out at home with the kids. We had the garden done just before lockdown so spent loads of time there. Luckily the weather has been brilliant so we’ve used that to our advantage. It’s been such a mad year. It’s been nice to take the kids down to the swimming pool again after everything had been shut, just to get back to a bit of normality.
“We’re looking forward to it, especially after the success we had last season. The lads are hungry again to try and improve on what we’ve started building under the manager since he’s come in. We’ve continued to improve under him and hopefully we can continue that next season.”
Wallace is still disappointed about last season, when Millwall’s 4-3 defeat to QPR on the second-last day ended their top-six hopes.
Wallace continued: “With Millwall teams since I’ve been here, we shouldn’t have to score three goals to win games. That QPR game was a bit of a freak result, but QPR are kind of one of those teams. They’re a little bit up and down and we got dragged into that at times.
“But, in my opinion, we were playing against the best player in the division in [former Lions midfielder Ebere] Eze. He was brilliant and at this level he’s someone who can make a big difference, almost on his own at times. We struggled to get hold of him.
“In [behind-closed-doors] games it is a bit more open at times and we came out the wrong side of it.
“But losing to QPR wasn’t the reason we didn’t end up in the play-offs. You end up where you end up for a reason and there are games that stick out more that one that we should have gotten more out of. Ultimately they could have beaten us by a couple more goals.”
The recruitment of Parrott, Ryan Woods, Mason Bennett and Scott Malone have added to a sense that Millwall are not satisfied with their eighth-place finish in the last campaign.
But before they can look forward to their date with the Potters, they will aim to beat Crawley for the first time in just their second-ever meeting.
Crawley signed former Lions captain Tony Craig, 35, this summer.
Possible Millwall starting XI: 5-2-3: Bialkowski; Brown, Hutchinson, Pearce, Cooper, M Wallace; Leonard, Williams; J Wallace, Smith, Bennett.
Match odds: Crawley 7/2 Draw 13/5 Millwall 8/11
Last competitive meeting: League Cup first round (August 14, 2012): Millwall 2-2 Crawley (1-4 on pens).
Image: Millwall FC