‘I love games with pressure on them’ – Millwall loanee Callum Styles not feeling Championship play-off chase heat

BY EDMUND BRACK
edmund@slpmedia.co.uk

Callum Styles relishes playing in games with pressure riding on them – and Millwall have their biggest game since they were promoted back to the Championship in 2017 this upcoming Monday at home to Blackburn Rovers.

The Lions are sixth in the Championship table – two points clear of the chasing pack of Sunderland, West Brom and Blackburn with one game of the campaign remaining.

Millwall host Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Rovers at The Den knowing it is in their hands to end a 21-year wait for Championship play-off football.

“I love games which have pressure on them – I feel as though they bring the best out of me,” Styles told the South London Press. “It makes me feel a lot better when you’re playing for something – it’s like I’m achieving something. It multiples the feeling of getting the win.

“I’m just so excited.

“We have been sniffing at it [the play-offs] for the last couple of seasons. It’s about time now that we jump straight in.”

Millwall put themselves in the driving seat to claim a top-six spot last Friday after a dramatic 3-2 win at Blackpool.

The South Londoners took the lead three times at Bloomfield Road thanks to a Tom Bradshaw brace and a late Zian Flemming penalty – to end a two-game losing run and climb back into the play–offs.

“We needed that bit of a release of pressure,” admitted Styles on initially dropping out of the top six.

“We weren’t in the play-off positions before the game, so that helped to reset. We had been on a bit of a bad little run but that win made a massive difference.

“We know we’re a good team, but good teams have dips in the season. The timing of our dip wasn’t ideal, but there is a lot less pressure on hunting than being hunted – it fell in our favour.

“We were in the mindset of saying: ‘We have nothing to lose. We’re just going to get after them. We’re going to put pressure on them, get after them, and not give them time to breathe’.

“We started the game well and went one goal ahead. We gave away the penalty, which was a bit of a sickener because it changed the game’s flow – they got all the momentum, and we had to deal with that.

“It was really good to be able to get knocked down – with them equalising twice in the game – and then going on to score the winner. It showed unbelievable character.

“We have changed now and we have probably gone back to basics.”

The versatile Hungarian international featured consistently under Rowett before a quad injury halted his season-long loan spell from League One side Barnsley.

“Injuries are a sickening part of the game,” said Styles, who has started the last two outings. “I have never really had one like it before, which has been that long. I’m just happy to be back now and playing at the most crucial time of the season.”

The 23-year-old made the Championship play-offs with Valerien Ismael’s Barnsley side in the 2020-21 season, playing the full 90 minutes of both semi-final clashes against Swansea, as the Tykes fell to a 2-1 defeat on aggregate.

“They come up quite quickly after the season – you don’t have any time to breathe,” former Burnley youngster Styles, who is closing in on 200 professional league appearances, said of the play-off experience.

“You have got to take a step back and switch up the mentality. Play like you have nothing to lose, which we did against Blackpool.

“That’s when you play your best football. Hopefully we get the three points against Blackburn, secure the play-offs, recover as quickly as we can and get everything ready in terms of our physicality and mentality.

“It’s a season-defining game for both teams. As long as you do everything in your power and as a team, I don’t see why we can’t achieve big things thing season.”