GARY Rowett does not want his players to change their mentality as they look to secure their first top-six finish in the Championship since 2002.
Millwall head into Saturday’s match against West Brom with a three-point gap on Norwich City in seventh, having become one of the promotion favourites after an impressive run in February and March.
They have won five of their last eleven games, drawing three and losing three, putting them in a healthy position ahead of their last eight games.
In theory, the Lions have one of the easiest run-ins in the entire division, especially compared to their play-off rivals. They face three huge games against West Brom (ninth), Luton Town (fourth) and Blackburn Rovers (fifth), but the rest of their opponents are languishing towards the bottom end of the table.
However, Rowett is adamant that his players need to maintain the same mentality that got them into the top six, although he is aware that they will feel the pressure in their final fixtures as they close in on a shot of securing promotion to the Premier League.
“The outside story is almost that we’ve got a relatively easy run-in outside of those three games,” he told NewsAtDen.
“We’ve just lost to Huddersfield, who are a team down there at the bottom of the table. As a manager, that doesn’t even cross your mind. Every game is a tough game, there’s pressure for every team at this stage of the season.
“Pressure is a privilege. We’re fortunate to be in this position and we’ve earned the right to be in this position.
“What we’ve got to do is go out there with the aim of trying embrace it, enjoy it and work hard to try and get the results that we need – along with every other club that’s trying to do exactly the same.
“I don’t see it as ‘here’s the next three games and then we’ve got five games’, because we’ve got eight games left starting with West Brom. That’s as simple as it gets.”
Photo: Millwall FC