Rowett Previews Millwall Encounter

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Rowett Previews Millwall Encounter

We owe it to the supporters to finish the season in the strongest possible fashion, according to Gary Rowett, speaking ahead of coming up against Millwall.

2026-04-24T09:00+01:00

by Sam Jones

Published

14 Hours 22 Mins Ago

Rowett Previews Millwall Encounter

We owe it to the supporters to finish the season in the strongest possible fashion, according to Gary Rowett, speaking ahead of coming up against Millwall.

Sam Jones

2026-04-24T09:00+01:00

Rowett Previews Millwall Encounter

We owe it to the supporters to finish the season in the strongest possible fashion, according to Gary Rowett, speaking ahead of coming up against Millwall.

Sam Jones

2026-04-24T09:00+01:00

Rowett Previews Millwall Encounter

We owe it to the supporters to finish the season in the strongest possible fashion, according to Gary Rowett, speaking ahead of coming up against Millwall.

Sam Jones

2026-04-24T09:00+01:00

Rowett Previews Millwall Encounter

We owe it to the supporters to finish the season in the strongest possible fashion, according to Gary Rowett, speaking ahead of coming up against Millwall.

Sam Jones

2026-04-24T09:00+01:00

Friday night’s Sky Bet Championship fixture, an 8pm BST kick-off at King Power Stadium, comes after our relegation to Sky Bet League One was confirmed on Tuesday, following a 2-2 draw with Hull City on Filbert Way.

Addressing the media at LCFC Training Ground, in the build-up to facing the promotion-chasing Lions, City’s Manager outlined the importance of heading the last two remaining matches of 25/26 with a clear head, with pride at stake.

‘A massively disappointing moment’

Offering reflections on relegation, two days on from our fate being sealed, the 52-year-old pointed to the need to look forward and rebuild as we prepare for a season in the third tier for the first time since 2008.

“It’s always going to be very raw, certainly in the aftermath and the next few days,” he admitted. “It’s still of course a massively disappointing moment for the Club.

“You could see that after the game with the fans. When that all subsides, and it might take a little bit longer to do that, it’s about what happens next, that’s the key. Once things are done, you can only look at the next stage.

“It’s an opportunity to rebuild in a different way, a more positive way. A chance to get success. Every downturn at a football club is a chance to then go again and create those great moments that everyone remembers.

"Those fans will start to see success again at this Football Club. It’s had some brilliant moments. A lot of people at this Football Club deeply care about it and therefore I’m sure they will be completely committed to getting it back to where it needs to be.

“It will take a few more weeks before people can truly settle and get to grips with it. It’s not going to be fantastic or celebratory or super positive in the first few days.”

‘Lots of factors’

Rowett believes everyone must look at themselves as we process the end to the season, with several aspects having a bearing on our current league position.

“I’ve been quite clear since I’ve come here that we have certain capabilities in the squad,” he assessed. “That’s been the biggest challenge for me personally, defending certain moments in games is hard when you haven’t got different types of options.

“Converting chances has been a massive picture for us. If you look at the last six games, our xG is absolutely through the roof, up there with anyone in the league, yet we haven’t scored the goals from that.

“We’ve talked a lot about the character, but I’ve found it’s been more about a Championship-tough group, we’ve just been missing a few elements of that, clearly. That’s the biggest thing that I’ve seen in the games so far.

“When you have a squad in this division, anyone building a team knows that there’s certain parameters you have to try and have in the Championship, because it’s a different type of league to the Premier League.

“There’s players in there who, if they are being honest, have hugely underperformed in terms of what they are capable of. There’s lots of different factors, there isn’t just one. There’s a multitude of things.

“If you’re starting again, you make sure all of those elements are in place so that you’re prepared for a long, tough season with different types of games. Key things have obviously been missing for us to get to this point.

“Of course, there was a six-point deduction which had an impact on our season. But we’re not looking at anyone else; we’ve had to look at ourselves quite deeply over the last 24 hours.”

‘We need to do it properly’

Alex Neil’s side, meanwhile, arrive on Filbert Way with automatic promotion on their agenda, securing at least a play-off spot as a result of victory over Stoke City in midweek, now sitting outside of the top two on goal difference alone.

“My job is to finish off these two games,” the former Millwall manager added. “It’s an important game. Your pride means that you have to go out there and do everything you can.

“For us, we’re in work and we need to do it properly and prepare for the game. We need to give ourselves the best possible chance, for the league, for our own pride. For the staff it hasn’t been any different.

“It’s taken a little bit of lifting to get us back to where we need to be. I’m sure by tomorrow night, everyone will be focused on the game and viewing it in isolation, if that’s at all possible with the wider picture.

“We’re playing Millwall, who are having a fantastic season. I know all about them. I was there for four years and from afar, they’ve done an absolutely incredible job. For the years I was there, we were on the brink of the play-offs and couldn’t quite get there. They’ve done that, it’s been brilliant and they could still get more.

“They’ll be completely motivated to try and win the game. We have to make sure we’re at our best to stop them doing that. I’ve been very impressed with the club and the direction it’s gone in and Alex Neil, I think he’s done a fantastic job.”

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