Millwall keeper Bialkowski reveals he played on with broken finger – as he looks to be Championship ever-present this season

BY RICHARD CAWLEY

Bart Bialkowski has revealed he played on with a broken finger as the Millwall keeper closes in on being a Championship ever-present.

The Lions stopper has only missed 42 minutes of Championship football in the last two seasons – and that was when Frank Fielding started against Preston on the opening day of the 2019-20 campaign.

Bialkowski, Marcus Bettinelli (Middlesbrough), Rafael (Reading) and Yoann Barbet (QPR) have not missed a second of the action this time around.

“I broke my finger three months ago,” the Lions keeper told the South London Press. “It was quite painful but I managed to get through it.

“I had a splint on for two months and it was uncomfortable when I put gloves on. It is not painful anymore but the finger is not perfect – it is bent at a 45-degree angle and I can’t straighten it.

“I spoke to the physio and he said Ben Amos did the same thing. I suppose you could have surgery on it if you wanted but that is pointless at the moment because it is strong enough to carry on, it’s just in a weird position.”

Millwall’s Jake Cooper was one of nine players to be ever-presents last season, along with Charlton’s Dillon Phillips.

And Bialkowski is in no doubt that the lack of a proper summer break, as well as a pretty relentless fixture schedule, has been a factor in lower numbers this time around.

“It has been a crazy year. We started the season so late and then had to fit in lots of midweek matches – and that makes it demanding mentally as well as physically. It is not easy to go out every three or four days and perform to your standards.

“Lots of clubs have struggled, even Premier League ones that have got bigger squads. Maybe they can afford to rest one, two or three players every now and then. We haven’t been able to do that. I’m not moaning about that, but it is what it is.

“We are living in a difficult world right now and these are tough circumstances.

“I used to watch more football on the telly but this season I have tried to get away from it and spend time with my family, so that I’m not thinking about football on my days off.

“I’ve started reading some books about healthy lifestyles, things you can do to help your recovery. They are not about football, but they are if you know what I mean. It’s about trying to find new things to help you play longer. It is for now but also for my future as well.”

Bialkowski won the Championship’s Golden Gloves award in his first campaign at The Den – awarded for the most clean sheets.

This time he is joint third with Reading’s Rafael on 16 shutouts – Swansea’s Freddie Woodman (19) and Norwich’s Tim Krul (18) leading the way.

Bialkowski is facing a stiff challenge to add another clean sheet tomorrow as Millwall head to Brentford, the highest scorers in the division.

“If you make one or two saves early on in a game then you kind of feel unbeatable,” he said.

“Sometimes that is the case and sometimes you need a bit of luck. Defensively as a team we have been very solid, even more solid than we were last year.

“We’ve managed to concede fewer goals than most teams in the division and we’ve even conceded fewer chances than a lot as well. A lot of credit goes to the boys in front of me with the amount of blocks and tackles – unbelievable. It makes my life easier.

“Brentford are a fantastic team, one of the better – if not best – footballing sides in the Championship. They have got players who have scored 20 goals this season. But these are the kind of games you want to play.

“You enjoy playing against the better sides because you want to upset them. We’ve got nothing to lose really in these type of matches.”

Millwall’s top-six dreams were dashed by last weekend’s 3-0 loss to Swansea.

“It’s disappointing to miss out on the play-offs again but it is not the end of the world,” said Bialkowski. “We have been short of players at times due to injuries – big Smudge [Matt Smith], Coops and now Hutchy [Shaun Hutchinson].

“We have got a good platform to build on. I know I say that every single year, but it’s true. This group are so professional and we train hard every day.

“It will be a miracle if we got to the play-offs when we are 10 points behind with five games left. I’m not saying we can relax, I’m just being realistic. We are getting paid to do well on the pitch and we will give 100 per cent. The gaffer wouldn’t let us relax for a second. We’ll still go out to try and win the game.”