Millwall boss Gary Rowett gets one of his wishes in FA Cup third round draw

Millwall manager Gary Rowett has admitted he got one of his wishes in last night’s FA Cup draw.

The Lions will face Sheffield United at The Den in the third round in an all-Championship match.

The two clubs also met in the competition in January 2020 when the Blades were a Premier League outfit. Muhamed Besic and Oliver Norwood scored in the second half to knock Millwall out – both strikes from the edge of the penalty box. The last time the sides played in the FA Cup against each other prior to that was 1914.

Sheffield United have won all three FA Cup encounters.

The third round will take place between January 6-9.

Rowett told the South London Press: “Before the draw you are thinking ‘please be at home’, that’s the first thought. Massive tick on that one.

“Most clubs do the same – you want something slightly different. That’s the whole FA Cup scenario, to face something a bit different to what you do every week. I’m sure both clubs were sat there thinking ‘oh blimey, it feels like another Championship game’. But it won’t be the time we get to it. We’ll make some changes and I’m sure they will – it will feel slightly different.

“We know what the history is for our club in the FA Cup and we want to try and see if we can get through, simple as that. But we know Sheffield United are a good side and we know they’ll come with a bigger squad than us. They’ll be able to make a few more changes and still be really competitive.”