‘Rest is absolutely key – some of the lads haven’t clocked the fixture intensity’ – Millwall ace Jed Wallace on Championship schedule

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

Millwall winger Jed Wallace reckons that some players are in for a shock at the intensity of the Championship this season.

The Lions start their campaign at home to Stoke tomorrow and will play 46 matches by May 8 – not including cup competitions.

The season is a month later kicking off due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought the 2019-20 schedule to a halt for more than three months.

And Wallace, 26, reckons that the scheduling is brutal.

“Rest is going to be so important. I’ve spoken to a few of the lads and I don’t think some of them realise how many games we have in a short space.

“It’s going to be Saturday- midweek-Saturday-midweek until literally Christmas time. That’s why you’ve not seen much transfer activity, because clubs don’t want to lose players and they are going to need bigger squads.

“Losing someone like Billy Mitchell [out with a knee injury] is a huge blow because he can play a couple of positions.You wouldn’t say that so much if it is mostly Saturday to Saturday.

“I imagine the gaffer has got a few decisions to make because apart from Coops [Jake Cooper], who seems to be able to get out for every minute of every game, everyone else will be rotated.

“It’s such a physical league that it isn’t often you feel absolutely brilliant, if we had scans I’m sure we’d all have little muscle tears – like as if we were training for a mini marathon.

“Troy [Parrott] getting injured is a bit of a nightmare because he has looked very strong.

“We’ve got a couple of big signings in Scott Malone and Mason Bennett.

“If Millwall keep their best players fit then we’ll have a successful season. We’ve got five or six players who are up there as the best in their position at this level.

“Bart [Bialkowski] is class. He was in an Ipswich side who were one of the worst teams I’ve seen at Championship level. But class is permanent and he’s shown over the last five or six years that he is one of the best goalies in the league.

“For shot-stopping he’s the best I’ve ever played with. He’s unbelievable in training, I can’t believe some saves he makes.

“There’s probably three goals he’ll feel he could’ve done better with last season but he probably saved us 15 points. On top of that he is also a legend of a bloke.”