Manager Neil Harris on high conversion rate of Millwall’s opponents in recent weeks

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

Neil Harris has had his say on the high conversion rate that opposition are enjoying against Millwall in the Championship.

Hull City had two efforts on target on Saturday and came away with a highly fortunate 2-2 draw at The Den.

But Bristol City only managed one shot on target the weekend before in a game which finished 1-1.

Swansea had two shots on target and both went in and Reading netted three of their four chances at the Madisjki Stadium.

Lions boss Harris made it clear that goalkeeper Jordan Archer took none of the blame at the weekend.

He said: “Certainly we’re not having the fortune.

“If you look at Jordan, for example at the weekend, he could do nothing about the goals. He hasn’t had a save to make. Last season we were in a lot of similar situations and we were getting clean sheets.

“Is it because teams are better offensively this year? Or are we just not getting the luck? Bristol had one shot on target – a deflected shot – that Jordan saved comfortably. After that we don’t win the game because we score an own goal.

“Birmingham did not have a shot on target in the first 30 minutes but we are 1-0 down because we scored an own goal. Reading had three goals from four shots – we’ve had 30 shots [in that game]. We’ve scored plenty of goals this season, we’ve conceded too many. Every little error we make we are being punished – the ball goes in our goal. Look at Norwich – every individual error the ball goes in our goal.

“We have to keep working as we are, extremely hard on the training pitch, trying to keep learning all the time. That sequence can’t keep happening.

“We’ve dominated and beaten so many good teams over the course of the last 10 months. We need to tighten up and be better – and hope we get that little bit of fortune. Look at Norwich at the moment, every little bit of luck goes their way.

“That bit of luck will come for us, but we can’t just rely on that. We have to be the best we can possibly be to get back to winning games regularly.”

Kamil Grosicki smashed past Archer at his near post to put Hull ahead. Lee Gregory and Aiden O’Brien put Millwall ahead before Markus Henriksen’s leveller.

Harris said: “Grosicki has hammered it as hard as he could from eight yards out. That’s not the goalkeeper’s responsibility – that’s the team in front of him.

“It’s a poor goal. A player completely switched off and let his man run inside him. That’s where we have to be better. They are the moments at this level you cannot switch off.

“In the second half we give one first contact, from a header, in our penalty area over the course of the 90 minutes and the ball ends up in our goal.

“I’ve praised my players for the way they fought back from a goal down, the way they stuck at it when the crowd got a little edgy – the performance we put in from about 20 and 75 minutes was outstanding. We didn’t quite get it [the scoreline] away from them and we come away with a point.

“The positives for me were that Shaun Hutchinson was outstanding and the full-backs were excellent. Lee Gregory was very, very good. We look a very good attacking side. We could have been slightly better on the ball but when we’re trying to get a hold in the league, you can’t have everything. At the moment I want a spirited Millwall performance, with moments of quality.”

IMAGE BY BRIAN TONKS