Millwall boss explains why duo didn’t start against Owls – with Arsenal loanee previously ‘inhibited’ by niggle

Millwall head coach Joe Edwards has explained why Brooke Norton-Cuffy and Aidomo Emakhu did not start in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.

Arsenal loanee Norton-Cuffy replaced Murray Wallace at the start of the second half while attacker Emakhu came on for Tom Bradshaw in the 71st minute.

The pair were returning from injuries.

“Both were nowhere near being ready to start a game,” Edwards told the South London Press. “The manner of Brooke’s injury and the uncertainty around it while he was out – about how severe it might be – it was one we had to be careful with.

“If you look back at the way Brooke’s injury came around it was kind of a build up. If you look at his performances in the couple of games before he stepped out and it became an official injury, so to speak, it was clearly affecting his performance. Brooke will be the first to say his performance at QPR and Hull – he shared, in hindsight, that he felt a bit inhibited with it.

“It was clear we didn’t have the same player who was playing very well for us in December, for example.

“It’s been a tough period for Brooke and he definitely wasn’t ready to come straight back in and start a game.

“It’s the same with Aidomo. He has been out for a fair period – the fact it was his shoulder and then his ankle as well meant he was kind of limited in the level of work and physical stress he could get up to in his rehab and integration.

“Couple that with the fact they both made their return in a week where we had a midweek game, there is no real form of team training going on where they are out on a big pitch, recreating game moments. They simply both weren’t ready to start.”