“It’s got to be a big reaction” – Millwall boss Rowett demands response at Bristol City

BY ALEX GRACE

Gary Rowett says his Millwall team must show a “huge reaction” when they face Bristol City on Tuesday night.

The Lions were beaten 3-0 at Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon

The damage was done during a seven-minute spell in the first half, with clinical finishing from Neil Warnock’s side taking the game away from Millwall by the half time break.

Rowett said: “We had two good chances in the game and we needed to take one of them to make the second half a bit of a contest.

“As it was we moved the ball okay. I still think we were really sloppy on the ball. We look like a team that hasn’t won for a period and a little bit edgy and a bit nervous.”

The Lions are now 10 Championship games without a win, their worst run in seven years.

“When it’s like that there is only one way of it and that is to make sure you’re brilliant at doing what you do off the ball which is chasing hard, fighting for second balls, dominating physical duals and battles around the pitch,” said Rowett. “And what I would say is that for the best part of a year this team has done that. However, for the last few games we’ve fell short and we need to stick together as a group and we have got to work hard as a group to get out of this period that we are in.”

Millwall head to Ashton Gate to face Bristol City on Tuesday.

“We have to have a huge reaction, it’s got to be a big reaction,” said Rowett. “It’s got to be a reaction that actually means something, it’s got to be a reaction that shows everyone we aren’t happy with where we are and I won’t accept anything other than that.”