Millwall hold their own against two of the Championship heavyweights – their run-in looks favourable on paper

Millwall might eventually end up being short on some of the attributes needed to win promotion to the Premier League, but fighting spirit is definitely not going to be one of them.

The Lions’ last two Championship fixtures were the equivalent of fighting a leading heavyweight contender, winning a gruelling points decision and then being thrown straight in against the undisputed champion.

The concern heading into Tuesday night’s match against league leaders Burnley was that Gary Rowett’s tenacious and spirited side would not be able to rest, recover and find the energy they showed in their exhilarating 3-2 victory over Sheffield United at the weekend.

And those worries did not look unfounded.

First you had Tom Bradshaw, superb as he collected a second hat-trick of the season to down the Blades, only fit enough to play the closing stages against Vincent Kompany’s vintage Clarets, who are 16 points clear of third-placed Middlesbrough.

Secondly you had Oliver Burke missing out on being in the matchday 18 due to illness, joining Billy Mitchell, Shaun Hutchinson, Mason Bennett and Tyler Burey as notable absentees.

Thirdly you had Millwall barely getting a touch of the ball for nearly five minutes before Jamie Shackleton won a free-kick to temporarily halt the confident swagger of the visitors.

But even if Millwall still had the lingering effects of fatigue, physically or mentally, they also have an admirable resolve.

The Lions are unapologetically direct. They knew they were never going to pass Burnley into submission. Often they grind opposition down. It’s about landing on second balls and mopping up loose balls.

Burnley arrived in SE16 unbeaten in 12 matches, winning 11 of them. They extended that to 13 but, unlike in some of those other fixtures, knew they had been in a match.

There was a 20-minute period at the end of the first half where they became increasingly rattled by Millwall’s exuberant pressing.

Millwall were happy with their point. George Long was in no rush to take a late goal-kick. Their return from back-to-back Den games against the top two, both equipped with parachute payments, was a return that management, players and fans would have gladly taken before 12.30pm on Saturday.

Sometimes the difference can be the width of a goal post.

Burnley were already 1-0 up when a quality pass from former Charlton loanee Josh Cullen sent Vitinho surging down the right wing, Josh Brownhill’s first-time shot coming back off the right post with Long a concerned spectator.

Had the Lions seen the deficit doubled then it is hard to envisage they would have been able to prevent Kompany’s troops from relentlessly rolling on.

Millwall had struggled to create much in open play and there was also a lack of quality from set-pieces.

Zian Flemming has gone 10 matches without a goal and struck an early free-kick against the Burnley wall.

The club’s record signing was also the beneficiary of a wayward pass by Hjalmar Ekdal, driving his effort straight at Arijanet Muric. It’s easy to analyse with the benefit of a replay, but he had time and space to advance closer towards goal.

That’s not to say that Flemming didn’t play well. His strength on the ball was eye-catching in the last two games and you feel he will be back rivalling Bradshaw at the top of the scoring charts before too long.

He also attempted an impudent lob of Muric after intercepting a rare careless pass by Cullen that would have been outrageous if it had not comfortably cleared the bar.

Flemming was involved in the 85th-minute equaliser.

He collected the ball after a Millwall corner had been partially cleared and whipped in a delivery that eventually fell nicely for Bradshaw, oozing confidence, to claim his 11th goal of the season.

The Lions’ scorer then headed wide from Andreas Voglsammer’s cross, almost mirroring his second goal against Sheffield United.

There are good draws and bad draws – this definitely belongs in the first category.

Realistically any of the clubs in the top 10 of the table could still make the play-offs. But Millwall’s past couple of performances and results should give them every confidence, if that is required, that they can mix it with anyone – particularly on home turf where they have not lost in 11 league games.

They have played the current top three home and away.

Of their remaining 14 matches, eight of those clubs are in the bottom half of the table – including the three most in peril of dropping into League One.

Things are looking promising.

Millwall have gone close to the play-offs on three occasions since returning to the Championship but for all of those they have come on strong in the second half of the campaign and just fallen short.

After 32 games in the 2021-22 season they were 12th and seven points behind sixth-placed Sheffield United.

This time they have four points more and are seven positions higher. It’s been 21 years since Millwall last reached the play-offs at this level – back when it was still called the First Division. It’s likely to be a rollercoaster ride until May. Buckle up.

STAR MAN
Zian Flemming. Millwall’s number 10 was first for dribbles, duels won and eight recoveries. The hosts didn’t make the most of some of the fouls he won in good positions.

BEST MOMENT
Danny McNamara’s crunching tackle on Scott Twine. The Burnley player’s reaction was like he had stuck his fingers in a plug socket – made a miraculous recovery and got zero sympathy from home fans.