GARY Rowett admitted that Millwall’s result on the final day of the season will be a bitter pill to swallow for him and the players.
The Lions went into half-time in their must-win finale leading 3-1, but three second-half goals from Blackburn Rovers saw them drop out of the top-six in dramatic fashion.
Given their position, the manager was clearly frustrated that they were unable to get over the line, admitting that they needed to handle the pressure after the break to get over the line and earn a shot at promotion.
“It’s quite difficult to do anything other than comment on the game and how it went,” he said after the defeat.
“I think the season has been a strong season, one of progress, but at this moment in time it almost feels like an excuse to use that.
“It was about the game, about getting to the 46th game in a brilliant position. I thought that you could see elements within that where, in the last six or seven games, we didn’t handle moments as well as we needed to if we want to be a really top team. We spoke about the fact that part of today was learning about how the team copes with pressure and in different situations in the game.
“You’ve seen that all through the leagues where games have swung on one goal. Someone scored a 95th-minute equaliser for Notts County, so you see how these games are a little bit different from normal games in terms of how they are.
“First half, I think we started pretty well. We were aggressive but patient, and I think that was really important. We held our shape really well. Blackburn want to keep the ball and drag you around, they scored some very, very good goals. We went in at half-time 3-1 up.
“I felt that the second half needed to be calm, controlled and disciplined. We didn’t need to go chasing, we didn’t need to open ourselves up. What we needed to do is not make mistakes.
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“As soon as the second goal went in, you could see the nerves in the team. That little bit of space just opened up everywhere. Because Blackburn needed to win, they were able to play with a little more freedom, go more attacking with numbers and we had to go and deal with that defensively.
“That was the disappointment. The goals were good strikes, but we’re disappointed that they scored from those positions. We didn’t get out to the ball quickly enough and we conceded from those areas, but that’s the game, you’ve got to go and handle those big moments.
“Even at half-time, you could be 4-0 or 5-0 up, you’ve got to go and handle it, you’ve got to go and do the right things. You have to show an element of control and calmness, and that was certainly something that we needed to do a little bit better.”
Photo: Millwall FC
