NEIL Harris believes fit-again Nicky Bailey will add some “important ingredients” to Millwall’s squad during the final run-in.
Bailey made an impressive cameo appearance against former club Charlton last week on his return from a back injury.
He teed up Magaye Gueye for a shot which was turned in by Jos Hooiveld for the winning goal, before bringing The Den to its feet with a crunching tackle on Jordan Cousins.
The midfielder has spent the majority of the season in the treatment room battling a series of calf problems but Harris hopes the 30-year-old can remain injury-free.
And the Lions boss reckons Bailey is an ideal impact sub to have up his sleeve.
“We knew what he was capable of achieving fitness-wise,” said Harris.
“He’s not fit to play 90 minutes for us at the moment because of the amount of time he’s been out for.
“But he can certainly have an impact both in the dressing room and coming off the bench. He played another 60 minutes for the U21s this week and did well.
“We were confident that for 20 minutes to half an hour, he’d be OK and having Nicky’s quality and winning mentality was important for us in a local derby.
“His passing range and tackling are important ingredients. I’ve said before that I’ll pick a team to win a game and then select subsitutes that can make an impact.”
Bailey is expected to be on the bench for Millwall’s clash with Watford tomorrow – and could be joined by wingers Lee Martin and Paris Cowan-Hall.
“We’re hoping they’ll be back for Watford and that they both come through training this week,” Harris said.
“If they’re OK, then they’ll be a consideration for the weekend.
“Both have had spells out so we’ll have to balance the fact they’ve had injuries and that Magaye Gueye did very well when he came on the other day.
“There’s certainly competition for places at the moment and that’s so important.”