By Paul Green
GEORGE Honeyman has described last Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday as a low point in his Millwall career to date.
The Lions knew victory over the Owls would go a long way to easing their relegation fears and the pressure on head coach Joe Edwards. Instead, the defeat led to the removal of Edwards as boss and the sensational return of Neil Harris.
Two first-half goals from Wednesday consigned the hosts to another home defeat quick on the heels of the Ipswich drubbing, leaving midfielder Honeyman to admit it was his worst experience since joining from Hull two years ago.
“It was a little bit of a carbon copy frustratingly of the last few games. We didn’t play amazingly at the start, but I felt from looking around at everyone that they were up for it,” Honeyman told NewsAtDen before the news of Harris’ return was confirmed.
“We were putting challenges in, we were camped out in their half.
“Then frustratingly, I don’t know if we get a bit complacent, but then we go a goal down and the world sort of collapses around us for ten minutes.
“We all to a man struggled to turn the tide. It was just an extremely disappointing day – it was as disappointing as I’ve had in a Millwall shirt.
“It is one of those where you are left frustrated there isn’t a midweek game where you can change it straight away. Saturday was a tough, tough day but hopefully that is the lowest that we will be this season.
“I look around and I know we all can’t wait for the next game just to try and erase that one from our memories.”
That next fixture comes on Saturday in the shape of Southampton, a side bang in form and looking to bounce straight back into the Premier League at the first attempt.
It may already look like a lost cause on paper, but Honeyman points out Millwall’s history of pulling off unexpected victories when the chips are down demonstrates they have the ability to bust a few coupons this weekend.
He said: “If you are going to pick out a tough fixture, that one is probably in the top two at the minute.
“But we’ve built a reputation over the years of nicking results when people probably don’t think we can. Hopefully it is almost as if the shackles are off.
“Everyone is expecting us to get beat at the weekend, so hopefully we can perform with a bit more freedom, be a bit more positive, be a bit more shackles off and just go for it.”
Honeyman added: “If we get a good performance there and pick up a point or more, it will feel like picking up ten there. It is the Championship – funny things happen.
“We will go there thinking we can get a result and that’s how we’ve got to be.
“It is going to be a tough game, there is no getting around that but it is a tough league as a footballer.
“You’ve got to roll your sleeves up when it is tough and embrace the challenge of it.”
Millwall’s players got together for a meeting before the Owls defeat where they discussed the recent dip in form.
It may not have led to an instant change in fortunes against the Owls, but Honeyman believes in the long-term it will still prove beneficial between now and the end of the campaign.
He explained: “Because we have a lot of young lads, it is quite nice for them to see it is not just them maybe feeling vulnerable, it is every player. We just took that feeling we are all in it together.
“You come out of it thinking we’ve got 25 lads wanting the same thing, which is sometimes a really difficult thing to have in football.
“It didn’t have any short-term benefit with the Sheffield Wednesday result, but I’m sure it will stand us in good stead for the rest of the season.
“Stuff like that is really important. It just shows that everyone cares.
“It is not through lack of effort at the minute, it is just through lack of focus and lack of concentrating on ourselves.”