Lions manager Rowett: We had more energy, belief and spirit in the second half

Millwall boss Gary Rowett was pleased with the way his side took their chances in their win at Stoke.

Jed Wallace capitalised on Danny Batth’s error to feed Mason Bennett for Millwall’s winning goal, and the Millwall boss was delighted with the efforts of his front pair.

He said: “Yes [our boys were alert to the mistake] and it was good play in the build-up to it. Scotty Malone puts Billy Mitchell in, it’s a late run and good play from Billy.

“Jed and Mason were bright all game – they’re not really strikers but they cause problems with their movement and good play. I thought Jed was excellent today, when he just comes off the front and drifts into those little pockets then he’s very dangerous. He was excellent on the ball and looked really bright.

“What I liked about our team in the second half, was that we just showed a bit more belief. First half, it looked like an end-of-season game with no atmosphere – it was a bit flat on the pitch. But second half we had more energy and spirit and got something out of the game because of that.

“I’m pleased with my players’ mentality.”

The result saw Millwall move up to ninth in the table. They have now won four of their last five games but are still eight points off the top six but Rowett says his side will keep their season alive for as long as they possibly can.

Rowett said: “We finished eighth last season and we were disappointed in the end as we felt we could have snuck in the play-offs. We’re ninth at the moment. We’re a side that just go out there every game and see if we can win another game.

“We certainly can’t be blasé about where we’re going to finish. We’ve just got to keep scrapping and fighting and see how high we can finish.

“If that means putting pressure on the teams in the top areas of the division, then that’s our job.

“I’m not sat here stupidly enough to say we’re going to finish in the top six. What I’m saying is, we’ve got to try to win every game to see if we can finish higher than eighth.

“If we don’t, then we’ll have given it everything we’ve got and if we do, then fabulous. That’s our job. We’ve got fans watching at home who can’t get to games so the least we can do is give them a little bit of something to cheer about and feel positive about at the end of the season.”