Manager Neil Harris has said he’s relishing the League One Play Off Final against Bradford City this weekend.
Travelling to Wembley this Saturday for the opportunity to get back into the Championship, Harris knew that plenty of the group would be motivated to go one better given last year’s disappointment against Barnsley and with that memory fresh as we find ourselves at the national stadium for the second successive year, it’ll be all the motivation we need.
Speaking to the official site as he met with the media yesterday to discuss the weekend, Harris explained.
‘We’ve used the disappointment of last year’s Final defeat as inspiration all season. I’ve used it in various team talks and team meetings to galvinise the group and I’m sure it will appear in conversations before kick-off on Saturday. The heartache last year was immense. Luck went against us on the day and we didn’t perform to the best of our ability. We have to make sure that changes this year.’
Harris went on to say.
‘The experience for Dave Livermore and I personally, we can lean on that, but the experience of certain players in the dressing room – Steve Morison, Tony Craig, Jimmy Abdou – and the younger players that played last year, such as Jordan Archer, they can lean on that as well. It’s not just another fixture – it’s way beyond that. There’s a lot of focus around the day.’
With the two Play Off Semi Finals taking place within 72 hours, Millwall have had a 13 days break between then and Saturday’s Final and Harris knows the team have recovered well, rested well and importantly prepared well.
‘The turnaround between the Semi-Finals and now has given us a chance to recharge the batteries – we’re looking forward to it. We look in a good place. We’re healthy. The boys are in great spirit. That’s intensified in the last couple of weeks, especially from the win – and the way we won – at Bristol Rovers. The message was clear after, too: we’re there on merit – now lets go and win it. We were happy with the goalless Semi-Final first leg draw against Scunthorpe. The important thing was not to lose. We also knew we could go away and score goals. We knew it was a challenge, but that’s when Millwall are at their best. We’ve proved that time and time again.’
As for the game itself, Harris went on to say that despite all the preparation and work it simply came down to who performed on the afternoon and he was confident we would come out on top.
‘There’s nothing between the two teams. We’re both evenly matched, but have different styles of play. The League games have proven how little there is to separate both. I don’t expect that to change much this weekend. Who gets the luck on the day may be the difference. We’ll get the players in the right frame of mind, but it’s then down to them to perform out on the pitch.’
Adding.
‘I’ll sleep better on Friday night this year than I did last year – I hope, anyway! I trust my players, I’ve trusted them all year. I want them to walk off the pitch and say they could not have done any more. If they do that, I’m a happy man. We’re really looking forward to the occasion.’
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