JIMMY Abdou’s flying header could prove to be a “big, big moment” in Millwall’s battle against the drop, according to goalkeeper David Forde.
The fans’ favourite, who last scored for the Lions way back in April 2013, grabbed the decisive first goal during Tuesday’s do-or-die clash with relegation rivals Wigan.
And if Millwall are to pull off another Great Escape this season, Forde believes Abdou’s emphatic finish in the 2-0 win over the Latics could be a turning point.
“It’s about time Jimmy scored!” Forde said. “I’m absolutely delighted for him because he loves it here at this club.
“He’s scored one very important goal before and I was there that night at Elland Road when his goal against Leeds took us to Wembley.
“If we stay up, we can look back at big, big moments and this would certainly be one of them.”
Forde believes Abdou’s diving header embodied the Millwall values that interim manager Neil Harris has restored to the side since his appointment.
“Neil has brought a bit of resilience back into the team and that’s what Millwall is all about in times of adversity,” he said.
“Jimmy has summed that up by scoring a fantastic goal.
“We’re tough to beat under Neil and we’re looking to turn The Den into a fortress again so that teams don’t like coming here.
“We’ve got it rocking and it’s starting to turn into the place of old.”
Anything other than three points against Wigan would have been a hammer blow to Millwall’s survival chances.
“It was a must-win game, make no mistake about it,” Forde said.
“A draw wouldn’t have been good enough. It was a cagey occasion and a bit tit for tat but we managed to score the vitally-important first goal.
“There was a lot riding on the game and it wasn’t going to be the prettiest. At this stage of this season it’s all about results and performances go out the window.
“We’ve played ten times better than that this season and been on the end of some tough-to-take defeats.
“We were poor for the first half-hour but the manager made a fantastic change of formation at half time and we managed to get a foothold in the game.
“It’s always good when The Den is rocking like that and we’re attacking our end in the second half. It’s a fantastic result.”
Rotherham, the side Millwall have to leapfrog in the table, have been charged by the Football League for fielding an ineligible player and could be docked three points.
But Forde says the Lions have to put that out of their minds for now.
“At the end of the day you have to wait until the decision is made – it’s all whats, ifs and maybes at the moment,” said the ‘keeper.
“We could be blessed and it could be the bit of luck we need but we have to stay present and focused on the job in hand.”