Gary Rowett intent on building – not demolition – with this Millwall squad

SWANSEA 0
MILLWALL 1
Wallace 65
BY GRAHAM THOMAS AT THE LIBERTY STADIUM

Some new managers like to come in with a bulldozer and flatten all evidence of their predecessor’s work, but Gary Rowett considers himself in the building trade rather than demolition.

Perhaps it’s because things remained flattened during his time at Stoke City that Rowett is shaping and improving the work of Neil Harris at his current club.

‘If it ain’t broke, why fix it?’ could be the mantra, although fixing things up that were not working properly – such as controlling the tempo of matches – might be more accurate.

A third victory in four games in charge produced more evidence that those tweaks and subtle adjustments are working for the Lions boss. Evolution, rather than revolution, seems to be the right approach.

Certainly, his players have responded to the former Birmingham City and Derby manager’s tactical tinkering  at the Liberty Stadium which enabled them to gain their first away victory in eight months.

Millwall had not won on the road since a 2-0 victory at Birmingham City on March 13 – a sequence of 12 Championship away matches without success.

Goalscorer Jed Wallace was asked to play a more central role than the winger has been used to and the improvement was evident long before he scored the only goal of the game with a superb free-kick just past the hour. Linking cleverly with Connor Mahoney and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, Wallace caused plenty of problems for Swansea, whose faltering form has now seen them lose four out of their last six home games.

Home form has not been much of a problem for Millwall, who had won their last three matches at The Den, but even their last point gained away from home had been seven weeks ago.

A flexible back five, that formed a back three when Murray Wallace and Mahlon Romeo got forward, gave Rowett’s side adaptability to absorb most of the Swans’ possession-based football and launch counter thrusts.

Jed Wallace, Mahoney and Bodvarsson had all gone close in the first-half before a further rapid assault from deep led to the key moment of the match. As Wallace chased a ball through the middle, he was wrestled to the ground by Swansea defender Mike van der Hoorn. The Dutchman received a yellow card, but his real punishment came when Wallace curled a superb free-kick from 20 yards around the wall and into the far corner of the net.

The victory could have been more emphatic if Millwall had rightly been awarded a penalty in the 82nd minute when substitute Jiri Skalek was pulled back inside the penalty area by Swansea’s George Byers.

Wallace also went close to a second goal and he then rolled a pass to Romeo who saw his shot rebound just over the crossbar.

Millwall had to endure some nervous moments late on and Swansea’s Spanish substitute Borja Baston should have made things level when he got behind the defence, only to direct a simple volley wide of the post.

But overall, Swansea’s possession produced little in the way of clear chances and on the rare occasions they created something, Millwall keeper Bartosz Bialkowski was equal to the task.

Wallace’s goal was not the only moment of pure class from the 25-year-old former Wolves and Portsmouth player, who was wanted by Middlesbrough last year.

His creative passing, surging runs and unflagging workrate meant he was the most influential player on the field. It was the kind of performance that suggested he could still be wanted by bigger clubs or at a higher level.

Millwall will hope that does not happen for a while, at least. A season that looked destined to be a struggle when the club failed to win in the Championship between mid-August and October, now seems to be on the up.The Lions have moved into the top 10 and are only five points adrift of the last play-off spot, occupied by Swansea.

A home game with Wigan on Tuesday offers an opportunity for Rowett to make it four wins from five games, before a visit to fading Birmingham, his first club in Championship management, on Saturday. Given his undeserved sacking by the Blues three years ago – when they were seventh in the table – Rowett would enjoy nothing more than a victory there which could lift Millwall to the fringes of the play-off race.

Millwall (5-2-3): Bialkowski 7, Romeo 7, Hutchinson 6, Pearce 7, Cooper 7, M Wallace 8, Thompson 8, Williams 7, J Wallace 9 (Bradshaw 89), Mahoney 8 (Smith 64, 6), Bodvarsson 7 (Skalek 75). Not used: Steele, Brown, O’Brien, Mitchell.

PICTURES BY BRIAN TONKS