Millwall caretaker boss pleased with response after nightmare start at Preston North End

Caretaker boss Adam Barrett was delighted with the response his Millwall side showed after a nightmare start in their 1-1 draw at Preston North End.

The Lions fell behind inside three minutes at Deepdale as Mads Frokjær-Jensen finished off a sweeping move to give the home side the lead before Zian Flemming’s fine equaliser on the half-hour mark.

Barrett said: “It was a nervy start. We didn’t come out of the blocks like I wanted us to. We turned the ball over cheaply, so that was disappointing but the reaction after the first 10-15 minutes was brilliant.

“We then got control of the game and moved the ball well. We created some good chances and got into some more threatening positions and for the rest of the half we were really threatening. I was pleased with that.

“The second half became a bit more scrappy, a little bit of a stop-start. No team really got a grip of it.

“We had moments where we had to dig in and defend at the end. They put on some strong centre-forwards with the likes of Ched Evans coming on, so you know you’re going to have to stand up.

“The defence were excellent in doing that – important headers out of the box. We had a couple of moments ourselves with the corner which could have gone in and there were a couple more chances where, with a bit more composure in and around the box, we could have nicked a goal. Overall, with everything that’s gone on, I’m happy with a point.”

Asked if there needed to be any tactical tweaks after a disappointing start, Barrett said: “No, not really.

“We had the game plan and the shape was all there in place – you saw after the first 15 minutes the lads started to do it. It was more of a case of just trying to settle them down, calm down and get our confidence back and they did that after that opening period.”

Flemming netted his fourth goal in two games at Deepdale, following a hat-trick in this fixture last season, a game the Lions won 4-2.

Barrett said: “He likes coming here. He had a couple of other little moments as well but delighted for him. He’s an important player and we all know he’s got quality, it’s just about getting him to do that on a more regular basis.”