After a disastrous start in their 1-1 draw at Preston North End, Millwall’s interim manager Adam Barrett was thrilled with how his team recovered. At Deepdale, Mads Frokjaer-Jensen scored the first goal for the home team after just three minutes, and Zian Flemming netted a superb equalizer on the half-hour.
It was a tense beginning, according to Barrett. I wanted us to come out of the blocks quickly, but we didn’t. Although we made several costly turnovers, the response after the first 10 to 15 minutes was excellent.
“We then got control of the game and moved the ball well. We created some good chances and got into some more threatening positions and for the rest of the half we were really threatening. I was pleased with that.
“The second half became a bit more scrappy, a little bit of a stop-start. No team really got a grip of it.
“We had moments where we had to dig in and defend at the end. They put on some strong centre-forwards with the likes of Ched Evans coming on, so you know you’re going to have to stand up.
“The defence were excellent in doing that – important headers out of the box. We had a couple of moments ourselves with the corner which could have gone in and there were a couple more chances where, with a bit more composure in and around the box, we could have nicked a goal. Overall, with everything that’s gone on, I’m happy with a point.”
Asked if there needed to be any tactical tweaks after a disappointing start, Barrett said: “No, not really.
“We had the game plan and the shape was all there in place – you saw after the first 15 minutes the lads started to do it. It was more of a case of just trying to settle them down, calm down and get our confidence back and they did that after that opening period.”
Flemming netted his fourth goal in two games at Deepdale, following a hat-trick in this fixture last season, a game the Lions won 4-2
He enjoys coming here, according to Barrett. He also had a few other minor incidents, all of which made him happy. We all recognize his talent and that he is a key player; the challenge is in getting him to perform at a higher level more frequently.
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