Four takeaways from Millwall’s 1-0 win at Stoke City – Flemming fires clinical Lions a step closer to Championship play-offs

Millwall secured their fifth win in seven Championship away matches with a gritty 1-0 win against Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Zian Fleming scored his 11th goal of the season to seal a crucial three points, keeping Millwall in the top six ahead of two crunch fixtures against Luton Town and Norwich City this week.

Here are Alex Grace’s takeaways from the contest.

DUTCHMAN ENDS HIS BARREN SPELL

It’s the first time in 2023 that Millwall’s club record signing has found the net. The 2-0 win at Watford was the last time Zian Flemming was on the scoresheet, and that will be a significant weight off his shoulders. Despite going 10 games without scoring, he has still constantly threatened the opposition’s defences.

However, there was no way he would pass up this opportunity when it came to him. He will be giving a big thank you to George Saville for the initial stages of this goal, though. The Northern Ireland international’s two tremendous challenges allowed Flemming to receive the ball from Andreas Voglsammer. However, there was still lots to do for Flemming, and he did it brilliantly. His close control of the ball was excellent, forcing Phil Jagielkia further and further back, with the former Everton captain electing not to challenge the midfielder, who then finished superbly well into the bottom corner, making it look so, so easy.

He and Tom Bradshaw are tied at the top of the club’s goalscoring charts with 11 goals each. If Flemming can rediscover his golden touch in front of goal, then he and Bradshaw could fire the Lions to a top-six finish.

THE AWAY FORM IS PICKING UP

For the neutrals watching on and trying to predict how the top six race will go, the Lions’ inability to repeat their home form on the road was the excuse they used for not backing Millwall.

They have been excellent at home – with only the top two taking more points on their own patch – but slowly Gary Rowett’s men are starting to pick up their form away from SE16. Success at Stoke was the sixth time the Lions have won away from home. Four of those successes have come since the World Cup break.

Five victories in their last seven away matches, backed up by that tremendous home form, have been the main reason for the side now being able to consolidate a top-six spot with a game in hand. There is now also a small gap beginning to form on some of the other sides. Watford are in eighth and three points behind the South Londoners, but Millwall have the chance to extend that lead at Luton on Tuesday night, which will leave them in a solid position when Norwich visit SE16 on Saturday afternoon.

It’s also worth noting that after Tuesday’s game at Kenilworth Road, all of Millwall’s remaining away games, other than West Brom, are against teams all in the bottom half of the table.

LIONS WIN GRITTY, SOMETHING NOT ALL THEIR RIVALS CAN DO

The success at Stoke will not be remembered for brilliant football. What it will be remembered for is a tremendous defensive attitude and game management. It’s the 15th time in 16 games that Millwall have won when they have scored the first goal this season. Stoke were the better team in Staffordshire. They dominated the ball, and they kept Millwall camped in their own half, but they failed to break them down.

Rowett’s men have the fourth-best defence in the league. Only Burnley (29), Sheffield United (30) and Luton (32) have conceded fewer goals than Millwall’s 33. Luton will be a tough away day, but in recent away successes, their stern defensive work has been rewarded with clean sheets. The shutout at Stoke is added to ones at Watford and Cardiff since the World Cup.

Despite the majority of away games to come being against teams in the bottom half, the Lions will need to show the same grit and determination to defend their goal unless they can create more openings.

Flemming’s goal was Millwall’s only shot on target at Stoke, showing they can also be clinical when needed. All these are traits which will get you in the top six.

Other teams around them do not have the same steely mindset.

ONE TOUGH WEEK COMPLETED, BUT ANOTHER ONE BECKONS

The last week was a tough one, no doubt. Taking seven points from Sheffield United, Burnley, and Stoke is a terrific haul. Still, such is the relentless nature of a Championship play-off battle that there is another huge, season-defining week coming up.

Tuesday’s game at Luton will see sixth host fifth with nothing separating the two sides. Two evenly-matched teams are meeting in a game that will see the winners end the night in a very commanding position in the table and the top-six battle.

Be in no doubt the Lions will have to improve on the showing at Stoke to win at Luton, but they will take into that game the same attitude of doing whatever it takes to defend their goal and leave unscathed.

I mentioned this could be a season-defining week. Two victories against play-off rivals will leave Rowett’s men cemented in that top six ahead of games against Swansea, Reading and Huddersfield which would give them further hope that this could well be their year to gatecrash the end-of-season lottery.