GARY Rowett is aware that he will need to lift his players after Millwall’s heart-breaking defeat on the final day of the season knocked them out of the play-off places.
The Lions knew that they would secure a top-six finish if they beat Blackburn Rovers on Monday afternoon. They took a 3-1 lead into the half-time break, but they were left stunned after three second-half goals from Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side, which meant Sunderland joined Middlesbrough, Luton Town and Coventry City in the play-offs.
Rowett’s men had been in a fantastic position since the start of the calendar year as they earned a shot at promotion to the Premier League. Despite their blip in April, they were in control of their own destiny heading into the final day of the season and looked nailed on to achieve their goal with just 45 minutes of the campaign remaining, but it was not to be.
The scenes after the game were that of dejection and despair, and the manager knows that it will take time for the squad to get to grips with how the play-off bid ended ahead of next season.
“I think it’s quite difficult at this stage,” Rowett said. “We always knew that, after this game, we’d either be in the play-offs or having to speak to the lads about the end of the season.
“It’s never an easy scenario. If you’re a player, you’re just devastated that you haven’t been able to take the next step. There are probably so many things going through your head about what you could’ve done differently or done better.
“All I said to the players is that, in these moments, you have to feel a little bit of that pain and use it to think about how you can be better. You have to use it as fire and motivation to be better.
“We had our player of the season award on the pitch afterwards, and even the players getting them are kind of reluctant because they’re just thinking about the game.
“We go and give the fans a clap – I thought they’ve been brilliant throughout the season and throughout today – but again, it’s just that there’s a feeling of disappointment at the moment.
“It’s very difficult to take that out of your head. In a couple of days’ time, when one or two of the lads are probably sat on the beach somewhere, they’ll maybe start to reflect a little bit more and detach themselves emotionally to be able to do that.
“At the moment, I think everyone at the club is disappointed that we got so close but couldn’t manage to get it over the line.”
Photo: Millwall FC