Millwall: The Lions hungry for slice of Premier League pie

The three teams promoted from League One last season have taken the Championship by storm. Norwich City, Leeds United and Millwall all occupy positions in the top eight and, with five league games remaining, are in with a shout of back-to-back promotions. While all three have undoubtedly surpassed expectations this season, James McMath explains why Millwall are the real overachievers.

Millwall have savoured a taste of the finest cut English football can offer before but it was a while ago and the Lions are desperate to dine at the top table again.

After feeding on scraps in the lower leagues, the players are ravenous.

Leeds United and Norwich City, who came up from League One last season, have enjoyed the big time relatively recently.

When Millwall were last there, 21 years ago, the big time was nothing quite as opulent as it is these days – global interest and financial rewards paled in comparison.

The South London club were promoted to Division One, the top tier, in 1988 under the stewardship of John Docherty. Tony Cascarino and Teddy Sheringham led the attacking line-up.

After finishing 10^th in their first season, the Lions were relegated a year later, failing to win any of their last 20 league games in that campaign.

That promotion-winning side had been crafted in Division Three and Division Two by George Graham, who left for Arsenal. It paved the way for Docherty’s subsequent success at the Den (Graham didn’t do too badly after that, either, by the way).

Docherty’s is a success story the Lions’ current pride, led by Kenny Jackett, can salivate over.

Docherty unearthed diamonds. Jackett’s ensemble is one of rough gems, beginning to sparkle as time goes on.

Dues paid

Many of Jackett’s players have plied their trade in League Two and, God forbid, at even lower levels.

Steven Morison, this season one of the Championship’s top scorers and now a Wales international, was playing in the Conference for Stevenage two years ago after building his reputation at Bishop’s Stortford.

Liam Trotter, Millwall’s outstanding midfielder since Christmas, was on loan with a Grimsby Town team that just about survived in League Two three years ago.

Goalkeeper David Forde began his career in the League of Ireland with Galway United and gained experience through spell at Luton and Barnet.

It’s a far cry from where Millwall are now – three points outside the Championship play-offs with five games to go.

Lions midfielder and defender Tamika Mkandawire, who was part of the Hereford United team promoted from the Conference in 2006, believes the desire forged in the lower reaches will set Millwall in good stead for the end-of-season run-in.

He said: “A lot of players have had to work hard to get where we are today. That makes you a bit hungrier because of where you’ve been and knowing what it’s like to play at the not-so-glamorous grounds.

“I’ve been there on a Tuesday night, at Leigh RMI, scrapping for a point, so to visit some of the grounds in the Championship this season shows how far we’ve come.

“I think everyone fancies the Emirates next season, but we’ll not get too far ahead of ourselves.

“If you work as hard as you can, you never know what can happen.

“We let other people do the talking. We get our heads down and get on with the games. That’s the way it’s worked for us this season. There’s some massive games for us but we haven’t achieved anything yet.

“Obviously, we’d all like to go on and achieve something special this season.”

Millwall fans have a chant that goes “no one likes us and we don’t care”, but, surely, few would begrudge Jackett and his current crop a slice of the Premier League pie.

English Championship, Football League, Millwall