Gary Rowett delighted as Millwall continue to triumph against adversity

Posted Sunday, February 27, 2022 by PA

Millwall manager Gary Rowett was delighted that players continue to triumph against adversity as they kept their fine run of form going with a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United.

An early muscle strain for forward Mason Bennett meant the Lions had to struggle on without eight injured players against their play-off chasing opponents.

That they claimed their fourth win in a row was down to Jake Cooper continuing his remarkable record against the visitors, with his second-half header being the centre-back’s fifth goal in his last seven appearances against them.

Cooper’s latest strike against the Blades was the first time they had conceded in around nine hours of football, while it also lifted Millwall, walking wounded and all, to within five points of the top six.

Rowett, who is enjoying his best run as Lions boss, said: “To win four on the spin is a brilliant achievement for the players, especially in the scenario that we’re in, with players going down injured in every single game.

“It’s quite phenomenal, really, to play a team like Sheffield United, after Wednesday night’s exertions [at Derby].

“They obviously had the luxury of making three strong changes to their team – they can bring very strong players on and we’re in a position, at the moment, where we’ve almost got to keep grinding it out.

“We started with a nice spark about us in the second half, scored the goal, a brilliant goal: good run from Danny [McNamara], great little ball in by Jed [Wallace] and Coops certainly enjoys playing against Sheffield United.

“He scored a 25-yarder earlier in the season to win us the game and today scores us a towering header.”

The first half was a tough watch, with Bennett’s injury the biggest incident, but thankfully something approaching a football match broke out after half-time.

Sheffield United’s Jack Robinson almost got lucky when his mishit cross needed helping over by Millwall keeper Bartosz Bialkowski.

His opposite number Wes Foderingham then had a nervy moment when he fumbled Shaun Hutchinson’s effort, but Scott Malone could not convert the rebound from an acute angle.

The winning moment eventually came in the 61st minute when Wallace’s pinpoint free-kick from the right was headed in at the back post by the unmarked Cooper.

The Blades could not create a clear opportunity in the time that remained and they have now been replaced by Luton in the place-off places, following what was only their second defeat in 16 league games.

Their manager Paul Heckingbottom said: “It was an attritional game [between] two teams who played Wednesday night and I thought first half that’s what it looked like.

“From our point of view, I don’t think there was anything in it.

“If you look at statistics and passes, and all them things that don’t really matter, we probably shaded it.

“We’d have taken a 0-0 the way we played and come away with a point from here, with the form that Millwall are in.

“But, performance-wise, we didn’t think we were at our best and that’s the disappointing thing: the way we lost.

“I thought we could have been better, first half – slicker, sharper quicker.

“When it was there for us to go and create, we didn’t and then we were moving the ball quicker, that’s when they had the lead and were defending very well.”