Alex Grace’s assessment of Millwall’s 2022-23 season – Play-off heartbreak, best signing, performance of the campaign and will there be a hangover?

BY ALEX GRACE

Millwall’s season ended in final day heartbreak as the Lions missed out on the play-offs in extraordinary fashion by surrendering a 3-1 half-time lead to lose 3-4 to Blackburn Rovers and miss out on the top six.

Alex Grace runs the rule over the campaign:

How do you assess the season?

Right now, in the aftermath of that final day, everything is still very raw – people are still in a state of shock as to how Millwall did not make the play-offs.

Spending nearly the whole season in and around the top six and not making it is very hard to stomach. You could see the pain on the faces of the players and the coaching staff at the end of the game against Blackburn.

However, when the dust settles on that pain, people will be able to see that it’s another strong campaign for Gary Rowett’s side – another top-half finish and more solid work to build on over the summer.

The form of Tom Bradshaw – his best-ever goalscoring season with 17 goals – and how Zian Flemming has settled in shows there are plenty of positives to take out of the season.

Best performance of the season

It would have to be the 3-2 win over Sheffield United in February.

A game that swung in so many different directions. The Lions had been beaten at Coventry in the mid-week game, so they knew coming into this they needed something to stay put in the play-off places, and they produced a really good performance.

Taking the lead twice and being pegged back before Bradshaw completed his second hat-trick of the season in front of the Sky cameras.

That was the game where many started to believe that a place in the play-offs was a genuine possibility for this team. The atmosphere inside the stadium was brilliant. It got the players, staff and fans all believing that promotion was something that could be achieved rather than just a dream.

Worst performance of the season

This is quite an easy one to pick out. Despite the Lions’ disappointing return from their final 10 games, the worst result and performance of the season came at Wigan in late April.

The hosts came into the game knowing they had to win to stand any chance of avoiding relegation, and, to their credit, they delivered, but Millwall were very underwhelming. They really struggled to break down the side bottom of the table and with the second-worst defence in the league.

The goals that were conceded were so simple and poor from a defensive point of view, and the players were told so by the fans at the end of the game in no uncertain terms – this is the game that cost Millwall their place in the play-offs. This defeat saw them drop out with just two games to go as the pressure really began to take its toll.

How would you rate the transfer windows?

The summer window was a good one. There was massive anxiety in the air from the fans after Jed Wallace’s departure was confirmed.

He announced he was leaving, and then it was confirmed that he had joined West Brom, which meant everyone needed a lift – that came when the news of Zian Flemming broke.  

His arrival was greeted in such positive fashion – it changed the mood completely. Benik Afobe and George Honeyman were also greeted with optimism. On the whole, the summer

window was a good success.

However, January was a different story. The Lions needed help in the attacking areas. Afobe’s departure left the club with Bradshaw as the only recognised striker. Yes, he

performed out of his skin, but if he picked up an injury at any stage, there was going to be big problems.

There was the whole Kevin Nisbet saga, which summed up the window for Rowett’s men.

The deal looked to have been agreed, and he was on his way to London, but suddenly it all fell through – a big blow. Olivier Burke and Duncan Watmore both came in, but it wasn’t enough.

Best signing?

That’s a simple one. Zian Flemming. 15 goals in his first season in English football.

There are some that have criticised his return in the big games, but, on the whole, nobody can argue that the £1.7million has not been the club’s best signing but also one of the best in the league.

He has another big test next season to replicate his return from his debut year.

If there was one criticism, the Dutchman needs to provide a few more assists going into 2023/24.

Most disappointing signing?

Benik Afobe. He rejoined after he finished the previous season as the top goalscorer with 13 goals. However, he couldn’t repeat it this time around. He actually left the club in January.

It was a real shame as, even though his goal return had not been what it was the

previous season, looking at how things ended, the team were only a few goals short of getting into the top six – he could have been the difference.

Player of the season?

There are a few here – there are the obvious choices in Bradshaw and Flemming.

However, George Saville’s work throughout the season has gone slightly unnoticed.

Saville does all the dirty work in midfield that people don’t see.

He plays a different role now to the one he played in his spell here. He scored 10 goals during Millwall’s first season back in the second tier under Neil Harris in 2017/18, but he has developed into a new role.

Alongside Billy Mitchell in the centre of midfield, he provides a calmness that is needed. He breaks up the play, makes the interceptions, the tackles and shows a bit of leadership in the middle of the park.

He has been a big miss when he’s not been able to play this season. His partnership with Mitchell is also very key to any success that the Lions will look to have going forward.

What has to happen to hit the ground running next season?

Recruitment in the summer needs to be done right – there can’t be a repeat of the winter transfer window.

Targets will have already been identified, and they must make sure they go out there and fight tooth and nail for them.

Getting a good start is going to be very key after how this campaign has ended. If the Lions make their traditional slow start again next season, then there will be sections of the fan base that will be getting very restless.

This must be avoided. We saw in the back end of this season that if the fans in the stands are nervy, it shows in the performances of the players on the pitch. Another strong home campaign will be the foundations.

The Lions will also need to get their away form up and running a lot quicker than they did this time around to make sure they are hitting the ground running.

Who is the prospect to look out for next season?

Romain Esse was awarded the Young Player of the Season award and he has spent a lot of time in and around the first team this year.

Similar to the likes of Billy Mitchell and Danny McNamara before him, he looks a real prospect and someone who the club have high hopes for in the future.

A loan move might be the best option for him next season, so he goes out and gets some regular football under his belt, something he needs before he can slot into this Millwall side on a regular basis.

Will the final-day disappointment have a hangover effect?

Hopefully not. The players, management, and fans were all devastated after Blackburn.

 It was a huge day of emotions from the elation at half-time, thinking it was all but sealed, to the despair of not only missing out but going on to lose the game at full time.

Looking back to Leicester, in May 2013, they had a penalty to seal a place at Wembley, they missed that penalty, and Watford went down the other end and scored to seal a place in the play-off final. They reacted brilliantly by going on to win the league the next season in dominating fashion.

This team has great characters and while they will be hurting now, they’ll be back on day one of pre-season looking to right those wrongs.