MILLWALL won’t be in the play-offs this season – but they could have a big say in who will.
The Lions face three of the top six in their next three games, and can effectively consign Brentford to the end-of-season shootout if they deny the Bees victory and Watford win at Luton.
That would leave Thomas Franks’ side at least 11 points behind the second-place Hornets with five games left.
Reading, who are currently seventh, will hope the Lions can do them a favour when Gary Rowett’s side host Bournemouth, who are fifth, next Wednesday.
It’s not exactly how Lions fans would have wanted the end of the season to pan out, but if they are like most football fans then at least they will have the satisfaction of perhaps ruining someone else’s party. The perverse pleasures of following a football team.
Millwall are ninth and only a point behind Cardiff as they aim to match last season’s eighth-place finish.
That would be a success given all their injury problems this season.
It’s clear to see what Millwall need to do in the summer – but doing it is another matter. It’s certainly a daunting task for head of recruitment Harvey Bussell.
The last Lions player to score more than 15 goals in one season in the Championship was Steve Claridge, who got 17 in 2001-02.
Steve Morison scored 15 league goals in 2011-12 and Darius Henderson the same number the following season.
Millwall’s top scorer this season is Jed Wallace who has scored nine goals in the league. All the sides above the Lions have players in double figures. Norwich and Swansea have two players each who have scored more than 10 Championship goals, and Bournemouth have three.
There are six strikers in the division who have scored 15 league goals or more.
Bear in mind, this season, Matt Smith and Tom Bradshaw are Millwall’s top-scoring, out-and-out strikers with three goals each.
How many more points would one striker getting 15 goals be worth this season? Twelve more goals to the tally?
Just this year, you can straightaway think of the draws against Bournemouth (15 shots on goal), Wycombe (13 shots on goal), Luton (14 shots on goal) and there are six points already, had Millwall had a clinical striker, that would have the side in serious contention for sixth place now.
This Saturday’s opponents Brentford have consistently unearthed strikers from lower levels who go on to become prolific scorers.
Ivan Toney has 29 league goals this season after signing form League One Peterborough last September.
The Bees bought Ollie Watkins from League Two Exeter and he scored 25 Championship goals last season before moving to Aston Villa last summer for over £20million.
The season before that Neal Maupay, recruited from the French second division, also scored 25 league goals and generated another £20million-plus when he joined Brighton.
The latter two cost £1.8million and £1.6million, respectively, so Millwall realistically need to be looking at around the £2million-mark for a striker who could potentially make that kind of impact and push them towards a play-off challenge. That would mean breaking their transfer record.
As well as Leagues One and Two, Bussell will be casting the net wider and has good knowledge of European football.
It is set to be an intriguing summer in the transfer market.
Meanwhile, the kick-off in the London derby was brought forward to 12.30pm so as not to clash with the funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
It is the Lions’ first trip to the Brentford Community Stadium
Possible Millwall starting XI: 5-3-2: Bialkowski; Romeo, Evans, M Wallace, Cooper, Malone; Kieftenbeld, Woods, Mitchell; J Wallace, Bennett.
Match odds: Brentford 4/7 Draw 3/1 Millwall 7/2
Last meeting: Championship (September 20, 2021): Millwall 1-1 Brentford (J Wallace 4; Toney 21 pen).
Image: Millwall FC