MILLWALL goalkeeper Jordan Archer admitted he was “devastated” after the League One play-off final defeat to Barnsley in May.
But Archer believes the disappointment of missing out on a place in the Championship will spur the squad to go one better this season.
“I watched the match back the day after,” Archer said. “I was devastated and it took a few days to get over it. That’s me being a winner, I hate losing and that will add to the motivation this season: I don’t want to experience the same feeling that I did after that final.
“That final is done and dusted. We’ve got the new faces in, there are more young boys coming through. Some of the young lads that played last year have that experience, so we’re in a lucky position now where we can push on and try to get promoted to the Championship. Anything short of that would be a disappointment.”
At least one factor in Millwall’s favour this season is the reduced time the squad will spend on the road, with trips to local rivals Charlton and AFC Wimbledon, as well as MK Dons and Oxford United.
Archer is looking forward to those clashes, but he doesn’t want to put any extra emphasis on London derbies with 46 games to focus on over the course of the League One season.
“There are a few fixtures in there that I looked out for,” Archer said. “The local derbies are always big games that the fans will come out for and be incredibly loud. The atmosphere at The Den will be unreal for those types of games, they’re the ones you really look forward to.
“But it’s a long season and we’ve got to perform well in every game. If we can take the form from the end of last season into this one I’m sure it’ll be a good year for us.”
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