Millwall boss Gary Rowett disappointed with a point at home to Wigan

Posted Wednesday, November 27, 2019 by PA

Millwall manager Gary Rowett was hoping for more from his players as they fought back to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Wigan.

The Lions boss has picked up ten of the 15 points available since taking charge in October but was less than impressed with his side’s latest performance at the Den.

A Shaun Hutchinson header cancelled out Anthony Pilkington’s early strike in the first half before substitute Matt Smith did exactly the same in the second half following Antonee Robinson’s impressive first career goal.

“I’m not happy with a point but I don’t think our performance was good enough to warrant all three and sometimes you have to accept that when the performance isn’t great you don’t get the result you want,” said Rowett.

“If you look at Wigan, although their results haven’t been great, their games have been very close and I thought they showed how much they were playing for their manager.

“No one really stood out to me tonight which was the problem because we are a team that needs to be at their maximum to win games.

“We want to play with bit more quality, we aren’t going to do that every game, but I think the players recognise that there wasn’t enough good performances out there today.”

Rowett revealed that Lions keeper Bartosz Bialkowski offered him an apology after the game despite a point-blank save from Kieffer Moore’s header keeping his side level before the break.

“Bart has just apologised to me in the changing room and I said that nobody has to apologise because he has won us games single-handedly this season,” added the former Stoke boss.

“In some of the games this season he has had to do too much and I don’t think we defended with as much shape or discipline tonight as we have done previously.”

Meanwhile, Wigan manager Paul Cook polarised the opinion of his opposite number and was proud to take a point home, despite his side letting their lead slip twice.

And Cook believes the result will give his players confidence for the rest of the season.

“We need to just keep going because everyone knows this league for what it is and that was a really good point for us,” said the Wigan boss.

“The games we have played in and lost, we have played really well in, so it is disappointing and we don’t look like a team that is in trouble at the lower end of the table based on tonight.

“We play with great confidence and also sometimes naivety, but the way we played in stoppage time today was the best we have looked because actually we time-wasted and did the professional things we are supposed to do.

“But the players haven’t had the bit of confidence you get from winning a few games and I think tonight will give them a boost.

“Great credit to the fans that came tonight because it is not easy when we have not been picking points up.”

United States international Robinson scored his first career goal after a slick move from the Latics and Cook was full of praise for the 22-year-old left-back.

“I am delighted for Antonee because in the modern game full-backs have to contribute,” he added.

“They’ve got a license to go forward for crosses and I thought he was excellent again tonight.

“We have lost some senior players this season and I though the young players who came in did brilliantly, especially Dujon Sterling.”