MILLWALL’S JOINT under-18 manager wants his players to have no regrets when they leave the pitch tonight.
The young Lions face a mammoth FA Youth Cup semi-final game away at Leeds United as they look to overturn the odds again and get to the final.
Millwall beat nine-time winners Chelsea on penalties at The Den in February, reaching their first semi-final in 30 years. They are now in the final four of a competition that began with 630 teams.
Larry McAvoy, who manages the youth side alongside Chris Perry, believes his players have taken confidence from that major upset.
He told NewsAtDen: “I think the boys are just really excited. Going into the Chelsea game there was a lot of hope for a game of that magnitude and I think we’ve now got more belief after taking a really big scalp. There will definitely be nervousness but it will be healthy nerves hopefully.
“As much as we can, we need to be relaxed, play our normal game, not let the nerves get to us and make sure we come off the pitch with no regrets and hopefully the result goes our way.”
McAvoy accepts that, like in the previous round against Chelsea, his side are underdogs and face a tough challenge.
He said: “The biggest challenge they’ll face is, like against Chelsea, they’re playing against Category 1 players, a lot of them probably internationals, so the level of opposition is going to be a lot stronger than what we normally face.
“We’re also at Elland Road, so it’s going to be difficult away from home.
“But the pressure is going to be all on them with their fans, the size of the club and their Category status so the challenge for us is making sure we can cope with the level of opposition.”
McAvoy has been at Millwall for the past 20 years, coaching at various youth levels before becoming joint under-18 boss in 2017. Perry joined a year later and the pair have forged a strong working relationship over the last six years, divvying up the key responsibilities on the training pitch.
Along with tonight’s game, they also have a Professional Development League Cup Final to look forward to at The Den on April 17 against Swansea City.
McAvoy, 44, said: “Going into each game, one of us will work in-possession, one of us will work out of possession. For this Leeds game, I’ve been looking at how we can cause Leeds problems in possession and Chris has been looking at how we can stop them and cope with their threats.
“And then on the night when we’re on the touchline, we’ll be working as a team.”
Along with taking out Chelsea in the quarter-finals, Millwall have had to beat Barking, Grimsby and Coventry City to get this far.
Striker Kavalli Heywood has already netted six goals in the competition and McAvoy is excited about his potential.
He said: “Kavalli’s developed really well. He come in at the under-13s and he was someone who came with a lot of ability but just needed some work in terms of the professionalism of the game and tidying his game up and making good decisions.
“He had a tough season last season where he perhaps didn’t get the goals or the outcomes that he wanted but this season he’s played a lot more and he’s a confidence player. When he’s confident, he’s really difficult to play against.”
Fans can watch the game online for free on the FA Player from 7pm tonight.