AFTER a famous FA Cup win over Premier League side AFC Bournemouth, the important games keep coming thick and fast for Millwall. Next up is the short trip to local rivals Charlton Athletic this Saturday.
NewsAtDen spoke to Charlton blogger Kyle Andrews for the lowdown.
Name: Kyle Andrews
Twitter: @KyleHAndrews
What made you support Charlton?: My dad grew up in south-east London and is a home and away veteran with the Addicks. He, unfortunately, inflicted Charlton upon me and I’ve been joining him in trips to The Valley from my home in Milton Keynes since 2004.
I’ve been a season ticket holder since then and I’m rarely absent from away games since 2012 – an addiction to misery and suffering.
It’s been an up-and-down season for the Addicks on and off the pitch – sum it up in a few lines, if possible?!: Overall, it’s reaffirmed that progress isn’t possible while Roland Duchatelet’s regime remains. A consequence of unforgivable previous mistakes that have created a huge divide between club and supporters and more recent errors, both in terms of actions and words.
Focusing solely on the pitch, the season so far as a whole has been underwhelming. A top-six finish was promised as a minimum, but, at the halfway stage, we’ve given ourselves a bit too much to do to achieve that.
The disconnection and disappointment has made the occasional positive moments particularly enjoyable. Not least the 4-1 victory over Bristol Rovers in our most recent match. Whether that’s the start of Karl Robinson mounting a play-off push, or merely more false hope, remains to be seen.
Millwall are chasing the play-offs and will be buoyed by a superb FA Cup victory last weekend – how do you see the Lions going in the second half of the campaign?: It seemed you were going to be keeping us company among the also-rans of League One, but your recent discovery of a bit of consistency has given you a very real chance of making a successful play-off push.
Millwall have a similar points total to many teams in and around the top six, but momentum and confidence is key momentum and confidence that has been increased by the Bournemouth victory.
I would also imagine that while our off-field issues are divisive, yours are likely to increase a sense of togetherness, determination and motivation. It’s a possibility that the mentality required to, quite rightfully, defend The Den will be replicated on the pitch.
With Charlton losing their star man Ademola Lookman, which Addicks will Millwall have to watch out for on Saturday? Likewise, which Lions will you be wary of?: The potential return of Ricky Holmes, who has been absent through injury since early November, is particularly timely given Lookman’s departure. He’s the sort of skilful, direct and creative winger that can prove a match-winner.
Although, it was Josh Magennis, in partnership with youngster Joe Aribo, that proved the match-winner in the victory over Bristol Rovers. Magennis’s hat-trick was outstanding, while Aribo, in only his second Football League start, provided three assists.
In terms of Millwall players I’m most concerned about, I’m fairly sure Steve Morison will still be scoring goals against Charlton by the time he’s collecting his pension. His performance in the reverse fixture was excellent, as was Ben Thompson’s, who was dominant in the middle.
Finally, a score prediction?: Previous experiences of this encounter have left me without the bravery to predict a positive result or feel any sense of optimism. Let’s go for some sort of embarrassing defeat, as per – anything above that is a bonus.
Graphic: @ShedCreative