Millwall player lost half a stone in weight – as boss sets target of double figures for goals

Gary Rowett has revealed that Mason Bennett has lost half a stone in weight – with the Millwall attacker battling a groin problem earlier in the campaign.

The former Derby player scored for the Lions in their 2-1 loss at Barnsley on Saturday.

It was Bennett’s third goal of the season with Rowett claiming that he should be aiming for double figures at the start of every campaign.

“Early in the season we had some physical issues with Mason. He had a problem with his groin and I don’t think he was quite playing at the physical level he can.

“We did a lot of work, the staff did a lot of work, on identifying what were the issues and how to resolve them. He stripped down about half a stone.

“With Mason and his ability, for me, he should be scoring the types of goals he has in recent games. He is capable of that. The challenge has always been the same – when you see Mason at the top end physically he is an absolute handful, wherever he plays. You saw that in the first half at Barnsley – he runs away from people, he’s strong, aggressive and has that intelligence of where to play and where to run.

“It’s the consistency from a physical perspective we need to find. If we do then you’ll see him score a lot more goals.

“There aren’t too many of our players who have scored three goals from open play this season. He needs to start pushing on to double figures in a season and that’s a challenge I’ve spoken to him about.

“I’m pleased with his recent performances. He has looked much more where I think he is capable of being. I expect him to have a strong finish to the season. He was our standout player at Barnsley.

“If he tucked away his other chance on Saturday then I don’t think anyone can argue about the game finishing 2-2. The difference in the win over Sheffield Wednesday was that we outran and outfought them in the last 30 minutes. Against Barnsley we didn’t quite play on the edge like that.

“Can we win the game when the prizes are a little bit bigger and you are looking at the top six? We can’t quite get games over the line.”