3 key men in Millwall’s revival

It has surely been the most testing time of Neil Harris’ managerial career.

Four straight league defeats have seen Millwall tumble down the table, from the fringes of automatic promotion to the cusp of the relegation zone.

However, albeit in the low-key surroundings of last Tuesday’s Checkatrade Trophy tie with Gillingham, the Lions stopped the rot with a 2-1 victory, courtesy of Steve Morison’s winner just a few minutes short of the final whistle – and a penalty shoot-out.

Last season, a last-minute victory over Peterborough United in the same competition ignited the Lions’ campaign.

Harris’ side will look for lightning to strike twice, but for that to happen, the team spirit and togetherness that seems to have evaporated over recent weeks will need to make a quick return.

But what three players should the team look to to lead the charge? Which key men will the fans look to to kick-start the revival?

Here are SHOOT‘s candidates…

Tony Craig

Hold on. Hear me out here!

Whilst he may not be everyone’s favourite these days, at the end of the day, Tony Craig is the captain of Millwall Football Club and should therefore be the first man on the list.

With the Lions’ defence at its leakiest in the league, the centre-half should be called upon to ensure that it returns to its most watertight stance.

As the skipper, Craig should be the loudest voice on and off the pitch and should take responsibility for how the team play – good or bad.

Whilst he has been made a bit of a scapegoat by some at times, the captain will probably concede that his form hasn’t been the greatest lately – perhaps the international break will give him a chance to wipe the slate clean and return as the defender that fans know he can be.

Ben Thompson

In every successful side, you need a midfield general. Someone that will take the game by the scruff of the neck, be the ball-winner and make things tick. Ben Thompson is just that.

Despite his young years, Thompson possesses a maturity in his play that isn’t usually seen in someone of his age.

Perhaps it’s the fact that he’s a Millwall supporter, that helps, but if you need someone that will never stop and get the fans going, then the midfielder is your man.

Whilst others changed the game in a more attacking sense against Gillingham, Thompson was everywhere from minute one, not giving the opposition any peace – and he was rightly uttered by many as a potential man of the match.

Many fans see Thompson as how they would perform if they ever had the honour of playing for Millwall – many will also be wishing they were alongside the midfielder as the club look to bounce back from their September slump.

Steve Morison

The most important player at the club. The talisman. The goalscorer. The man who perhaps should be captain. If you’re talking about key men, then the list isn’t complete unless Steve Morison is on it.

In a formation irregular from the norm, Lee Gregory was getting next to no joy playing up front on his own against the Gills. Enter Morison at half-time and a revert to the tried and trusted 4-4-2 and the striker turned the game on its head, ultimately scoring the winning goal minutes from time.

The intelligence in Morison’s play is an asset that no other player at the club – and perhaps in the division – possesses.

Despite the club’s poor form in recent times, the number 20 has stood out like a sore thumb, putting in shift after shift and performance after performance, sometimes single-handedly attempting to get the Lions back into games.

Without any shadow of a doubt, along with Gregory, if any revival is to take place, then Morison will need to lead the line – not that he doesn’t do that now, anyway!

The whole team will need to pull together to turn Millwall’s fortunes around, but in terms of key men; Craig, Thompson and Morison will need to take on the mantle and form a solid spine in which the Lions can grow from in their attempts to climb up the table.

After the short international break, the fixtures pick up again with two home games against high-flying Bolton Wanderers and Fleetwood Town following a trip to newly-promoted Northampton Town.

With the table now taking shape, it is vital that Millwall begin to pick up points and make sure their recent form was just a blip in the long run.

If they are to make any tilt at promotion a possibility, then they’ll probably need to be situated in the top half come Christmas time.

Then again, Barnsley were bottom at the turn of the year last season. But I’d rather we wasn’t!