GARY Rowett praised defender Charlie Cresswell for his recent performances despite his error against Burnley on Tuesday night.
The defender was at fault for the Clarets’ goal midway through the second half, with striker Ashley Barnes turning the ball into the back of the net from close range. Tom Bradshaw went on to score a late equaliser that gave the Lions an impressive point at The Den, sparing Cresswell’s blushes.
The mistake was the only blot on the 20-year-old’s copybook since returning to the starting lineup in place of injured captain Shaun Hutchinson, having put in a string of impressive performances since the start of February.
However, with Hutchinson returning to training on Thursday, manager Gary Rowett has a decision to make as to who partners Jake Cooper at the back, although Cresswell’s error is not likely to influence whether or not he keeps his place in the team.
“You’ve got to learn from those situations,” the Millwall manager said after Tuesday’s game.
“You probably look back on it and maybe not take the risk, but the key for me is that I think he’s been outstanding.
“If you’re not playing well and you make those types of mistakes, it’s obviously a little bit harder to stay in the team, but for me, Cressy has been outstanding.
“In the last two or three games, he’s shown a different side to his game, he’s shown a real calm authority and consistency to his performances.
“I think I said it all the way through: he’s going to be a top player but he’s not far off that now. I thought the rest of his performance today was really mature, I thought he was absolutely outstanding.
“Sometimes, as a defender, you make one mistake and it gets punished. It was a tremendous block and he’s really unlucky that it didn’t drop to someone else.
“There’s no problem for me, I think you’ve got to be brave enough to take risks. Sometimes you have to learn from it as well.”
Cresswell was seen running forward to celebrate with Bradshaw after his late goal, a moment which Rowett believes sums up his character and attitude in the team. He added that the Leeds United loanee had the chance to move elsewhere in the January transfer window, but decided to stay in SE16 and fight for his place in the starting lineup.
“He loves it, Cressy, doesn’t he? He loves it!” he laughed.
“As the goal goes in, I’ve never seen a centre-half join the celebrations so quickly!
“He’s here and he’s committed. I think there was an opportunity for him, if he wanted to, to potentially leave in January – not that we wanted him to – but he wanted to stay.
“He wanted to stay and show what he’s all about, he wanted to stay and fight for his place in the team. I think that’s a fantastic attitude for a young player and I think you see that all the time in the way that he plays.
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s our player for the season and he’s thrown himself into what it means to be a Millwall defender.”
Photo: Millwall FC