Joe Bryan on Millwall executing game plans in wins over Portsmouth and Luton

Joe Bryan felt that Millwall’s 1-0 win at Portsmouth on Tuesday evening was down to them doing the defensive basics well.

The Lions followed up a single-goal victory at Luton Town on Saturday by banking maximum points at another of the Championship strugglers.

Bryan produced an impressive performance at left-back in both fixtures as the South Londoners moved themselves a comfortable distance from the relegation zone.

And the Portsmouth result was achieved without a number of injured first-teamers, including Liam Roberts deputising for first-choice goalkeeper Lukas Jensen.

Asked about a superb defensive display on the South Coast, Bryan said: “I think you can probably say that for the last two games. – we have a game plan and we executed it tonight and the last game.

“That is very, very pleasing. I’m pleased for Robbo, coming in with Lukas not being right, and getting a clean sheet.

“It is very difficult for a goalkeeper to come off the bench and go into an environment like Fratton Park – they are going to go hell for leather and come at you.

“We are growing in confidence. We have put a few results together now.

“Even if you look at the Cardiff game (a 2-2 draw) – I know the last two minutes were disappointing in each half but we’re slowly building some momentum.

“We are growing and learning to hopefully be a well-coached defensive and offensive team.”

It was the two youngest players in Millwall’s starting line-up that combined for the matchwinner at Portsmouth.

Ra’ees Bangura-Williams, who squandered a massive chance in the opening minutes, released Mihailo Ivanovic to deftly lift the ball beyond home keeper Nicolas Schmid.

“When you have players coming in that are that young, the senior players have to guide and help them,” said Bryan. “They have been bought or signed for a reason. He (Ivanovic) is showing that at the moment.

“That is why we bought him – to put the ball in the net and run off and do his little celebration.

“He is doing the Mitro (Aleksandar Mitrovic) or Michu celebration, I don’t know which one it is! He has started well. We don’t want to put too much pressure on him. But as long as he is scoring goals, we’ll be happy with him.

“The most pleasing thing in that situation is he (Bangura-Williams) knows he should bury that goal,  easy, from two yards out.

“But then to have the mentality to pick himself up and play the ball through for the goal is exactly what we want. We want players who are going to  stand up, take the ball when it matters and make that killer pass.

“We’ve had a very tough run of games, in terms of results, and the atmosphere felt a little bit like it was on edge – but we have held our nerve in the last two games and picked up six really, really important points with what I think were very defensively solid displays.

“As a Millwall team that is what you have to build from – a solid base and when you are going to come under pressure, like we were for the last 45 minutes here, not concede.

“That is what this team prides itself on – clean sheets and playing like we did tonight.”