‘If I’d stayed at Millwall I probably wouldn’t have retired’ – exclusive interview with Lions legend Steve Morison

When you think of the most influential players to pull on a Millwall shirt in recent years, it’s hard to look beyond Steve Morison being in number one spot.

The 38-year-old heads back to The Den this weekend as Cardiff City manager.

But his exploits and efforts in the dark blue of Millwall should ensure he gets a rapturous reception from the home crowd.

Morison scored 92 goals in 336 matches for the Lions – a haul only exceeded by Neil Harris (138) and Teddy Sheringham (111). And he twice won promotion from League One – his close-range finish against Bradford taking the South London outfit back to the Championship in May 2017.

The former Wales international retired in October 2019, only part of the way through a one-year deal with Shrewsbury, to take on his first coaching role at Northampton Town.

He had initially left Millwall on a season-long loan in July but the move was made permanent the following month to free up a loan slot for the Shrews.

His last career appearance was as an 85th minute substitute in a 1-1 draw at AFC Wimbledon in September 2019.

“I left Millwall because I still wanted to play,” Morison told the South London Press this week. “I had another year on my contract but I knew that my game time would be a little bit less than the season before.

“Neil [Harris] asked if I wanted to stay and do a bit of coaching, like Willo [Shaun Williams] did last season, and a bit of playing. I was in the middle of doing my pro license, so I wasn’t quite there yet.

“I went to Shrewsbury on loan and just lost that edge mentally to play the game.

“Millwall, and the owner there, were awesome with me. They were happy to help me retire.

“Would it have been nice to play my last game at Millwall and say bye then? I never really got that opportunity but, knowing how I am, I wouldn’t have wanted a big deal.

“I don’t think I’d have retired if I’d still been at Millwall and involved, either on the bench or playing. I had that appreciation there where even if I wasn’t playing, every time I warmed up, people would be pleased I was there. If a game wasn’t going well they’d call for me to come on.

“At Shrewsbury I didn’t mean anything to them. No-one really cared if I didn’t play. I hadn’t scored, so I hadn’t done anything. I had too many days when I started going home from training or games thinking ‘I don’t know if I want to go back tomorrow’.

“I lost that desire to try and prove a point and tell everyone I wasn’t finished.

“On the flipside I was fit and healthy – I had no bad injuries – so it just felt right.

“It was as quick as a drive home and then that was it.”

Morison was one of the leaders and biggest personalities in Millwall’s dressing room – particularly in the close-knit group that had such success under Harris.

He seemed to enjoy his reputation as a no-nonsense straight-talker – the Lions’ equivalent of Roy Keane.

“People who know me, know what I’m like,” Morison said. “I’m quite a consistent person.

“I don’t like anything other than winning. So when I was at work, it’s work time. And when I’m not at work, it’s not work time.

“I just played on the edge. I had edge. If I was playing and someone wanted to have a pop in the stand, or something like that, I’d bite back. Some people liked it, some people didn’t.

“It was about being on that edge and not stepping over it. There’s a lot of opinions on me, but the reality is I only got sent off once.

“I never really got banned for bookings. I was there to lead the group and to be a good person – someone my team-mates could rely on. Hence why there are still a few now who will call me when they want advice and stuff like that.

“If I was that much of a miserable bastard I don’t think that would happen.

“I always tried my best. Sometimes my best wasn’t good enough – I had bad games and then I had amazing games.

“It’s really hard to describe yourself. I just tried to be the best and most professional person I could be all the time.”

Morison hit 31 goals for Stevenage to entice Millwall into a £130,000 deal in the summer of 2009. It proved a snip.

He has previously described how watching a DVD of his performance against Wycombe the following November – with Kenny Jackett pinpointing how he was too nice to play against – as a huge moment.

He won promotion in May 2010 and finished with 23 goals – 21 of those coming from the start of December.

“I wasn’t anywhere near the finished article,” said Morison. “I didn’t know any different. Kenny knew there were aspects of my game I needed to be better at. It wasn’t until you step up the levels that you know what that is.

“I went to Norwich after that. Being in non league and then playing in the Premier League two years later, I had to keep adapting. It wasn’t something I consciously thought about. I had a basic level to be able to compete and it was about adding layers all the time.

“When I went back the middle time [to Millwall] it wasn’t a great period. It was a bad situation with a couple of managers who didn’t kind of work and a group of players who didn’t overly work. We still stayed up and I still had an impact.

“It was somewhere I was really comfortable. I’d argue it was somewhere I played some of my best football, barring the year I had with Norwich when I took my game to another level.

“It shaped me as a player and the persona that goes with that as well.”

Morison’s place in the Lions’ history books is assured.

The forward’s double in the 2017 play-off semi-final second leg at Scunthorpe United – Lee Gregory also on target – took him to Wembley again.

His 19th goal of the campaign at the national stadium ended Millwall’s two-season stay in the third tier.

“Forget what I had done that season, scoring the winner in a play-off final in the last five minutes – it doesn’t get much better than that,” said Morison. “I’m never going to forget it.

“Of course from a moment point of view, it was the best. But there were so many good moments at Millwall – from the FA Cup triumphs to the two promotions and the struggle to stay in the league that season. And us putting that run together where we nearly made the play-offs [in 2017-18].

“That was an incredible season. God knows what would have happened if we had done it and got to the Premier League. That would have taken us to a whole new world we wouldn’t have been used to.”