Every word Millwall midfielder had to say to media after 0-0 draw at West Brom – play-off prospects and ‘brilliant’ George Saville

Ryan Leonard spoke to the local media after Millwall’s 0-0 draw at West Bromwich Albion.

Here’s every word he said.

GETTING A POINT AT A WEST BROM SIDE WITH SUCH AN IMPRESSIVE HOME RECORD

“We didn’t realise how good their home form was until after the game. It was a decent point. It was a tough game for both sides. Both teams worked very hard but didn’t see many chances in the game. At times we moved the ball well, especially at the start of the second half. We frustrated them at times and all in all it’s a decent point. Any away game in this league is tough and with the way they’ve been playing here, it’s a decent point.”

WOULD YOU HAVE TAKEN A POINT BEFORE THE MATCH?

“Before the game we probably would have taken a point. There was one point at about 55 minutes, me and Sav (George Saville) looked at each other and went: ‘We’ve got a chance here’. There was a bit in the game where I thought we could nick something here. Naturally as the game goes on you don’t want to lose the game, you’ve worked so hard and want to come away from the game with something. All in all it was a point earned rather than two points dropped.”

ON MILLWALL HAVING CHANCES TO BREAK THE DEADLOCK

“There was a couple of headers, I think Z (Zian Flemming) had one, Sav put the ball in and the keeper seemed to be over to one side. Defensively we were very solid. If we nicked a goal it would have been a bonus but we created a few chances, they had a few chances as well. We put our bodies on the line, Coops put his body on the line for one in the second half. We defended well, we had a couple of chances but we will take a point and get ready for Friday.”

LUTON IS A BIG MATCH ON GOOD FRIDAY

“It’s seven massive, massive games left. It’s a good point today, we move on and have a massive game now on Friday. Luton are flying and if we can go into that and really take the game to them – try and win the game, that’s our aim really.”

DOES IT MATTER WHERE YOU FINISH IN THE PLAY-OFFS – CAN AFFECT WHEN YOU PLAY AT HOME?

“I’m not going to answer that at the moment. We aren’t looking at that.

“The aim is to finish in the top six, if we can do that brilliant. We’ve not even got that far ahead. We are literally focusing on Friday and then Monday at the moment. Friday will be a very tough game against a very good side. They are doing really well at the minute, the away game a few weeks back was a really tough game. The crowd will be at it and we need to be at it as well.”

GARY ROWETT LEFT BEMUSED MILLWALL DID NOT GET A PENALTY FOR A PULL ON JAKE COOPER

“I think he nearly took the shirt off of his back. The thing is Coops just doesn’t get them, for some reason, I don’t know why. It might be because he is eight foot 10 and everyone wants to give it against him. I don’t think we’ve ever got one for Coops and that one in the first half was a definite penalty.

“He makes it difficult for defenders he goes up there and causes carnage and, to be fair, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves up there because he wins every single header he goes up for. He is unplayable up there. It’s a shame he doesn’t get more fouls but we will keep going, it seems that what we are doing at the moment is working so we’ll keep going.”

GEORGE SAVILLE’S MIDFIELD KNOWHOW

“He’s been doing brilliantly. He missed a couple of games but he knows this league inside out – when to slow it down and when to push it on.

“We seem to be doing really well, we’ve got Billy (Mitchell) coming back, who’s had a brilliant season. We’ve got Shacks (Jamie Shackleton) and Evo (George Evans) as well who are good players. Sav has been doing really well, long may it continue.”

ON SAVILLE’S BOOKING FOR TRIPPING BRANDON THOMAS-ASANTE AND PREVENTING A COUNTER

“I think it was a yellow-and-a-half, more than a yellow! It’s experience, isn’t it? It frustrates the other team. It was a great foul, we will say that it was his best moment of the game.”

DEPTH OF SQUAD WITH INJURED PLAYERS RETURNING

“It’s perfect timing, to have three really top players coming back. It’s only going to help us going forward. If you look at the bench we had today, we had some really good options and obviously a good starting line-up. To have those three coming back for the next seven games is massive for us, it can only push us on and push the players that are in the team and on the bench. It’s a massive bonus for us.”

HOW MUCH ATTENTION PAY TO LEAGUE TABLE

“It’s impossible to not look at other games. We have to go out there and win our game or get something out of our game and then we will see how they got on.

“We have to go out there and win the game, especially at home. We need to take the game to teams and whatever happens elsewhere happens but we can’t rely on that we have to do our own job first.”

MISSED CHUNK OF SEASON WITH INJURIES – PLAYING REGULARLY

“It’s really helped me to be fair, the run of games. Billy got injured, Shacks done a really good job in there for a few games and then luckily enough I’ve managed to find myself in the team, I’ve hoping I can just grab it with both hands and keep playing, I’ve really enjoyed being back out there.

“Compared to sitting in the physio room or sitting in the gym it is chalk and cheese. I’m just happy to be out there every week and doing my bit.”

“Everyone says it – there’s nothing worse than being injured. There is not a truer word said. It’s a horrible experience not being out there with the lads, that’s six games in a row for me now. I just want to keep going and keep helping the team. If the gaffer keeps picking me I’ll keep giving my all and keep going.”