Millwall winger has message for on-loan Tottenham striker + breaks down what Lions have missed on recent away days
Jed Wallace has told Troy Parrott to stay relaxed as the striker looks set to be back in the Millwall fray this weekend.
The on-loan Tottenham striker has barely featured for the Lions since his move before the campaign started due to calf and ankle injuries.
But Parrott seems likely to be in the squad for Saturday’s home game against Cardiff City after a couple of substitute outings for Republic of Ireland – at U21 and senior level – during the last international break.
“There is no pressure at all,” said Wallace. “Troy came with a massive reputation and everyone expected him to score 30 goals. He just needs to chill out.
“He has not played much football. But if he gets chances he will score goals. It’s down to people like me to create chances for him.
“But he’s also someone the manager has spoken about who can play a variety of roles – off the left, playing in behind or up front. He give us a lot of different option which sometimes we have lacked that.
“You’ve seen the schedule of games that the more people we have for those three attacking positions the better it is. It is a hard and demanding workload when you play those roles – sitting in a low block and powering forward constantly. There is a lot of high-speed running to get into those counter-attacking positions. It’s not as easy as if you were at a possession-based Brentford where you’re in the final third for 65 or 70 per cent of the game.
“For us to be successful we need people fit, probably more than most because we’ve got four or five who are very important. We needed to strengthen up front in the summer – we did that and we’ve had 70 minutes from the two signings, Troy and Ken [Zohore], which is frustrating.”
The schedule is a demanding one.
“I want to play every minute of every game,” said Wallace. “I’ve played three different positions in the last three games, which has been different for me.
“We’ve adjusted things and the gaffer has tried to fit me into different roles. I feel like in the last two or three I’ve not been as influential as I’d have liked to have been.
“But I also reflect on the last three games and we’ve had some huge moments where it could’ve gone very differently for us.
“We go up to Norwich and have a great chance on the counter attack and Benno [Mason Bennett] does great and can’t quite find me. We have Hutchy’s header at Sheffield Wednesday and Matt Smith’s header at Sheffield Wednesday. For a team like us we have to be so ruthless in those moments – then you’re talking about a great away performance, like we got at Preston.
“Benno shows an unbelievable bit of quality on the half-turn and we score a quality goal – then everyone is talking about a great performance. It was the same at Norwich – we nearly had an unbelievable performance.
“People forget how hard it is to be so well-drilled, so resilient and well-coached in the way we defend. Sometimes us going to these big away games like Norwich and getting a clean sheet – we come away a little disappointed – means we need a little bit of perspective.
“We just need to give ourselves a little more of a chance. It’s not always that final pass – myself included – to show that bit more quality to get in those goalscoring positions.”
See tomorrow’s South London Press for an in-depth interview with Jed Wallace.
INSET PICTURES: KEITH GILLARD MAIN PICTURE: BRIAN TONKS
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