‘It was a frustrating period’ – Billy Mitchell on his absence from starting line-up and savouring his football

Billy Mitchell does not want to take starting games for granted ever again after coming back into the Millwall team in recent weeks.

The academy graduate went on a run of 13 Championship matches with just one start to his name after dropping out of the team towards the end of Gary Rowett’s reign.

Mitchell, 22, racked up 38 appearances last season as he formed a partnership with George Saville in the Millwall midfield.

But the arrival of Casper De Norre and Luton loanee Allan Campbell left Mitchell having to impact games off the substitute bench in recent weeks until the Belgian suffered a calf injury which is set to rule him out until the middle of January.

It has opened the door for Mitchell to feature under new Lions head coach Joe Edwards.

“I have been happy to be back in the starting line-up – it was a frustrating period when I had been out of the team,” Mitchell told the South London Press.

“The other boys have been playing well. I have had to grind in training and do whatever I can to get back in – that’s football.

“It’s tough because when you don’t play for a few games and you come into a team that is kind of struggling, you maybe don’t feel the sharpest. Naturally, when you have been out of the team for a while then you might not see the pitch as big – or your touch isn’t on point.

“With time, it will get better. I learned how much you enjoy your football when you’re playing week in and week out. It’s about playing with that enjoyment and freedom – it’s about that happiness of being in the starting line-up because it’s so frustrating when you’re not.

“You play your best football when you’re enjoying it and have a point to prove.

“It can be a helpless feeling when you’re not in the team. You can do all you want, but the bottom line is that if someone is playing better than you or if they have a run in the team, they get the benefit of the doubt and it’s hard to overturn that.

“You never wish it to be an injury and Casper has been great this season, but opportunities come in different forms.

“I want to be in the team because I have earned the spot from training as well as possible, but you always have to be prepared.

“The December fixture list is packed, so even if we didn’t have any injuries it would have been natural for the squad to be rotated so everyone stays fresh.”