Millwall boss asked if it is worth a flutter on another Jake Cooper winner

Gary Rowett is pleased to see Jake Cooper and Murray Wallace engaged in a personal duel to finish as Millwall’s top-scoring defender – as that only boosts the club’s play-off prospects.

Centre-back Cooper has headed back-to-back winners for the Lions in 1-0 victories over Reading and Sheffield United. It is the first time the former Reading player has scored in successive matches in his career.

Asked by the South London Press if they should put a bet on the 27-year-old netting again tonight at Blackburn, Millwall manager Rowett said: “I’m not one to advocate gambling, it should be done responsibly if you’re an adult!

“He’s certainly in good goalscoring form, isn’t he?  But Coops has shown a real leadership, with or without the armband.

“Playing in the centre of the back three has really helped him. His confidence has built in the last seven or eight games. He’s been outstanding. The goals have been an extra to his performances.

“Him and Muzza could be having a good competition, as to which of our defenders finishes with the most goals. He is certainly a threat. If people start marking him a little bit tighter then other people need to start finding that space and find the openings as well.

Wallace has scored five goals, two of those in the EFL Cup. Cooper is on four for the 2021-22 campaign, which is the same amount he managed in the 2017-18 season.

Cooper’s biggest haul for the South Londoners was seven goals in 2018-19.

Rowett said: “That’s exactly what you want [defenders chipping in with goals]. If you think about Hutchy [Shaun Hutchinson], in that first season he scored six. If members of your back three have a good season then you’re talking about 10-plus goals from your centre-halves and that’s the difference between scoring 40-odd goals or scoring 60 to 70.

“Scoring 60 to 70 gets you around the play-offs. They are the sort of numbers we need to post. That’s why we’ve highlighted all the way through the importance of set-pieces and how effective that can be to increasing our goal tally and getting us points.

“Those two guys have certainly come up trumps this season.”