Gary Rowett talks about key ingredients needed as Millwall look to climb back up Championship table

Gary Rowett reckons hard work and total belief are two key ingredients in getting his Millwall side back to their best.

The Lions head into tomorrow’s home game against QPR on an eight-game winless run – although five of those have been draws and two of the reverses have been by a single-goal margin.

Millwall’s squad get a quick chance to bounce back from Saturday’s 1-0 reverse to Derby County as they head into a derby in SE16.

Rangers have lost three on the spin and only Coventry (three) and Forest (four) have taken less points on their travels than Mark Warburton’s men (five).

But the Lions are 20th in a Championship table for home form – banking eight points from as many matches.

They haven’t been helped by a hefty injury list which has deprived them of Mason Bennett, Tom Bradshaw, Connor Mahoney, Kenneth Zohore and Billy Mitchell.

Rowett said: “When we were sat here last season and we were in the top six at times and ended up finishing eighth, we took all the plaudits about how the team played and how it had improved. What we’ve got to do now is find a way to hit that form again, simple as that.

“We’ve got to work incredibly hard, we’ve got to have complete belief in what we’re doing, we’ve got to focus on what we can control on the pitch. We have to start getting results because we certainly don’t want to start sliding down the league slowly because we have lost that consistency.

“We have done it before and we’re still in a better position than we were when we came in last year, but essentially we’re disappointed with the recent run and we need to arrest that quickly.”

Alex Knight’s 69th-minute goal for the Rams inflicted a second league defeat in SE16 for the Lions.

Rowett said: ”If you look at the goal the blame really is that they have run through the heart of our forward line, run past us and got into an advanced area far too easily.

“You defend from the front. I’m not necessarily saying it was the forwards’ blame, but that’s where it started.

“One of the defenders, I think it is Hutch, gets dragged out, which then drags Coops out and it leaves Muzza two-v-one at the back post.

“It’s a good quality cross. We have about 15 crosses and not one gets into a good area. They get one cross and it finds the man at the back post.

“I don’t think Bart could have done any more – he makes a reaction stop because of the pace of the ball. Then you’re hoping one of our players reacts quicker than one of their players. They react quickest and score the goal.

“There is one big chance for either team and they take theirs which at the time was hugely frustrating.”