Impossible to ignore Millwall – Aaron McLean’s EFL takeaways

Millwall may live by the mantra that no-one likes them, but nobody can ignore them either, least of all second-placed Middlesbrough who hold a slender advantage of one point over the Lions.

Aiming for only a third ever top-flight season following two between 1988 and 1990, they are right in the automatic promotion picture.

McLean: “When I look at Millwall, I look at the level of performance and the games, like the way that they’re winning games. It’s not like they’re getting lucky. They’re going and they’re dominating teams.

“I look at the way they dismantled Charlton in a local derby. It epitomised everything that they’re doing. Physically they’re a match for absolutely anyone in the division and they’ve got quality players.

“They don’t play long ball but they mix it up, and on their day they’re as good as anyone in the division.

“Their goals come from everywhere in the team and Alex Neil has built a squad that isn’t reliant on one or two superstars. They work, they work brilliantly as a unit, and they all know their job.

Tonda Eckert took over Southampton in early November, with the team in 20th place, staring over their shoulders at the relegation picture.

Four months on and they are one spot away from the play-offs and scoring for fun with 42 in 22 games under Eckert, compared to 13 in 13 under Will Still.

McLean: “There is often a late darter and it definitely could be Southampton. They’ve scored more goals than anybody in that period of time since Eckert came in as well. Which is a transition from what they had prior to him.

“Obviously, Will Still was in charge at the beginning of the season and it just didn’t work for whatever reason. But Eckert has come in and he’s brought a new belief and they still play attractive football.

“What they do is they score a lot of goals as well. And now that they’ve got the momentum, you wouldn’t bet against them getting into the play-offs. Southampton and Ipswich are the two who have been in those promotion shake-ups and in those kinds of battles.

With relegation to League One confirmed and uncertainty over ownership swirling, players could be forgiven for throwing in the towel. For all that results are not going their way with 12 defeats on the spin, there are signs of fight at Hillsborough in difficult circumstances, despite them falling 3-1 at home against Southampton.

McLean: “The club accepted their fate a long time ago but you have to give so much credit to these players week-in week-out that they’re not just rolling over and getting beat six, seven and eight.

“A lot of the young players that are getting game time will benefit so much from this season and next year will be much better players for going through what they’re going through.

“And every player that plays for Sheffield Wednesday is playing for their future in one way or another: if you are a loan player you are wanting to go back to your parent club and try and push to get in their first team; if you are hoping to stay at Wednesday next season in the hope of a promotion campaign; or whether you want to play against somebody and you’re hoping that they’ll come and take you.

“No matter what the situation of the club, you’re always playing for your future.

“With an 18-point deduction, the writing was already on the wall from the start but how do you respond to that? Are you giving the level of performance? Are you putting in the running? That’s what the fans pay to see.

League One leaders Cardiff City and second-placed Lincoln are separated by a point, with a yawning gap of 10 points to third place. The pair, who meet next weekend in south Wales, are locked in an arm wrestle with 12 games to go and it could go right down to the wire.

McLean: “Both won 4-0 today and they are stretching away from the pack, but who comes out with the title? For me it goes right to the very end. With two of them pushing for the title, they’re driving each other.

“With a gap opening up to third, there can be a situation where you get complacent, where you think ‘OK, well, we’re going to get promoted’. So you have to have something that drives you.

“If I had to predict next week’s game [at Cardiff] I would say Lincoln. They won the reverse fixture and although Cardiff will be desperate to get their own back I think Lincoln.

For the second time inside eight days, relegation-threatened League Two side Barrow were undone by a stoppage-time goal, with last weekend’s 94th-minute winner for Fleetwood followed by a 103rd-minute winner for Gillingham.

It was a goal that should make the 330-mile journey back to Kent a whole lot sweeter.

McLean: “For Gillingham fans that will have been one of the games of the season and surely Gareth Ainsworth will have been on the microphone singing on the coach home!

“For Gillingham, for them to show the character, keep going all the way and feel the 103rd minute – full credit. I’m sure they’re enjoying their long journey home, which given it was a 650-mile round trip has probably still not finished.

“As good as it was for travelling fans I have to say I felt gutted for Barrow manager Dino Maamria, because that was the second game back-to-back that they’ve conceded in injury time.