Date: 9th March 2016 at 12:49pm
Written by:

It was being reported yesterday that club skipper Tony Craig could now be back in contention by mid April for a first team return following his lengthy spell on the sidelines.

The 30 year old centre half has been out of action since October 31st game against Bradford where he suffered lateral knee and hamstring tendon damage whilst making a block in the game.

Undergoing surgery to repair the damage, physio Bobby Bacic had said at the time that getting Craig back before the end of the season would be regarded as a ‘bonus’ and whilst you would think it unlikely he’d gain the necessary match fitness required to play much of a part in the run in, being more in and around the dressing room and on the training pitch of course would be a bonus with his experience.

Speaking to the South London Press, manager Neil Harris said that his attitude around the squad would the bonus in itself, and then we’d just have to see what transpired with any game time itself.

Craig is set to see a specialist in the next fortnight to get the greenlight to return to full training, and fingers crossed he gets that and has a steady return to full fitness now.

‘He`ll just need a couple of weeks of football. He is at the end stage of his rehab. Tony will still have to get football fitness but he has done all the running and recovery work. All good teams are built on the backbone of a settled side the majority of the time and you need combinations – at centre-half, centre-forward, central midfield or the right-back and right-winger. If you get those pairings right you`ve got every chance of being successful.’

Having spoken about the backbone and a settled side, he went on to say more generally about the season.

‘We`ve had a relatively settled team. Clean sheets are vital at this stage of the season and we`ve got confidence in the defence and strikers. We`ve got momentum. It`s key because it builds confidence – not just in the mindset of the players but also the fans. There is a fine line between momentum and expectation. At the moment we`ve got a good balance. No-one is getting carried away.’

With Swindon Town up next at the weekend, and them having taken ten points from the last 12, Harris touched on how tough a game it will be as they too are in very good form indeed.

‘They are on an upward spiral. They had a horrific injury list in the lead up to Christmas but they are a lot more settled. A change of management has brought a change of fortune results-wise. They are a completely different side to who we faced earlier in the season. We`ll have to play extremely well to get a positive result. It`s certainly a game we are capable of winning.’

Vital Millwall on: facebook

Vital Millwall on: twitter

Bloggers

Join The Vital Debate