SCOTT Malone can say he has never been relegated from the Premier League – and now he wants to add promotion to the top flight to his CV.
Malone boasts tongue-in-cheek about that record, having spent one season battling against the likes of Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane as Huddersfield protected their Premier League status successfully in 2017-18.
Malone, 29, had some testing times in that season with Huddersfield, but also had plenty of high points.
He came on as a substitute in a 2-1 win at home against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United. He was involved in a 4-1 win at Watford and a 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge as the Terrier’s defied their pre-season relegation odds, to stay up in their first-ever season in the Premier League.
But there were plenty of steep learning curves, particularly against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, and facing a deadly Kane.
Malone had played for the likes of Southend, Burton and Bournemouth before eventually becoming a Premier League player at the age of 26.
“Great memories, to be honest,” Malone said when asked to recall that campaign. “I came through at Wolves when I was sixteen, seventeen. I went out on loan, came back and they were doing a bit of a yo-yo between the Premier League and the Championship, so I found it hard to get in.
“I grew up going to Premier League games as a youth player at Wolves and I always wanted to be a Premier League player.
“I went down into League Two, then League One, then the Championship. So I almost did it backwards, if you like, but I eventually got there.
“I really enjoyed it. I played against some of the greatest players in the world. No regrets, really.
“I’ve yet to be relegated from the Premier League – I’ve just got to get promoted to it now! I’ve survived there once but I want to get back there. Promotion would be nice.
“I remember playing in the home game [against Man City] at the John Smith’s. We went 1-0 up and I don’t think they’d lost in the Premier League for something like 30-odd games. That was quite an exciting time.
“But then [Raheem] Sterling got past me and I brought him down for a penalty. We went on to lose with a deflection. Sterling was so sharp, he was very good.
“The physical demands are okay, it’s not as much hustle and bustle as the Championship. It’s more strategic. When you do work it’s higher-intensity work. You have to be switched on constantly, the slightest mistake and you get punished.
“I remember when we were 3-0 down to Spurs after about 25 minutes. Harry Kane got the ball three times and they scored three times. It was like, ‘wow’. You just can’t make a mistake.
“The demands are really tough.”
Malone was a key addition in the summer for Gary Rowett, who wanted a player who was attack-minded from the left wing-back position.
“That’s the way he wanted to go,” Malone said. “It’s almost free, if you like, but not free in the sense there’s no responsibility. He’s said to me that I have to be a source of goals, assists and chances created.
“Bart [Bialkowski] kept 16 clean sheets last season but there were an awful lot of draws in there. So tweaking here and there can get us a couple more goals.
“You still can’t get away from clean sheets. That’s what Millwall’s about: tough to beat, horrible to play against.
“But we need to add a little bit more going forward. The formation suits me down to the ground, I’ve got the legs to do it still. I feel like I’m getting stronger game by game. I haven’t played a lot the last 10 months so I’m still finding my fitness and sharpness.
“It’s going well for me.”
Image: Millwall FC