MILLWALL boss Gary Rowett was impressed with how his new signings performed against Stoke City.
Three players were handed their first competitive starts for the Lions, with Charlie Cresswell, Jamie Shackleton and George Honeyman all named in the starting lineup for Saturday’s Championship opener. Zian Flemming was also brought off the bench for the final 15 minutes to give him his first taste of the English second tier.
Cresswell ended up scoring a brace that helped Millwall earn a 2-0 win, although Rowett admitted that he was proud of how all of his new additions fared against the Potters.
“I think the main thing we spoke about is that we have to be a better squad, we have to be a better team, certainly off the ball as well. When you lose certain players that have individual attributes that they have, I think you have to go down a different route. I don’t think you can replace those players like for like.
“One of the routes we felt this year, certainly to enhance our away form, was to be a team that has incredible energy, can be mobile, can run, can open spaces up by our athleticism, not just our good play. I think you saw that during the game.
“I think you see George Honeyman just runs and runs and runs, he’s like a human dynamo in there. Shackleton’s the same, we know Billy Mitchell will do that, and I felt that those three were excellent today.
“With the new signings, I think there’s a little bit of Millwall in there with all of them. Just that little bit of bite and that little bit of feistiness about their performances.
When asked about why record-signing Flemming was left out of the lineup, Rowett explained that he was keen for the Dutchman to watch the game to begin with before coming off the bench towards the end.
“With Zian, I knew what the game would be like, I knew it’d be a little bit direct and a game of seconds. He’d have been desperate to play and to get involved but I felt it would be better to watch the game and see what it’s about, then come on later when there’s a little bit more space, and you saw his composure when he came on.
“I’m really pleased with the signings, really pleased with the way they performed. But of course, we’re not judging anyone on one game, we’re judging them when we get to 10 or 15 games.”
Photo: Millwall FC