NEIL HARRIS has challenged his players to bounce back against Bury this Saturday after seeing Millwall surrender their nine-game unbeaten run at Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night.
The Lions were off-colour throughout against Steven Pressley’s Cod Army as they failed to manage the wet and blustery conditions in Lancashire.
Eggert Jonsson and Bobby Grant put the home side two goals ahead before Byron Webster’s injury-time consolation.
Fleetwood battered Millwall for most of the 90 minutes and only for Jordan Archer, who produced three excellent saves in the first half to prevent certain goals, the final score could have been more damaging than 2-1.
Harris admitted his side didn’t deserve to get anything from the game.
He said: “Collectively as a group we can do better and we will be better on Saturday.
“It would have been against the run of play had we scored. It would have been harsh on Fleetwood but that’s football.
“They got the first goal and we had to chase the game and went with three up front with four strikers on the pitch.
“It didn’t quite happen for us and the goal comes slightly too late for us to rally. We didn’t get ourselves in the final third with good quality to force set-pieces, which we’re good at.
“The one set-piece we did get we put the ball in the net.
“We have to learn and be better with the football and certainly better without the ball.”
Fleetwood’s goals came through two set-pieces, the second a Grant corner that eluded Archer, but Harris wasn’t blaming his goalkeeper for the error.
“It was a terrific learning curve for him tonight on how to manage the game,” Harris said. “I think he’ll be disappointed with the second goal.
“He’s a young man learning his trade and in U21 football he wouldn’t have played in many games like that. It’s very good for him, experience-wise, and it’s not about looking back on mistakes and blaming. It’s about learning.”