Millwall defender: Derby at Fulham is exactly why club grafted so hard for promotion

Conor McLaughlin is enjoying every minute of his first season in the Championship – and won’t let anything dent his spirits.

The summer signing from Fleetwood Town has been an ever-present in the league for Millwall.

And McLaughlin reckons this weekend’s derby at Fulham was the kind of fixture which motivated the Lions to fight their way out of League One.

“That’s why we wanted to get promoted last season, to play teams like that,” said the Northern Ireland international. “That’s why the lads are enjoying it at the minute – even though the last few results haven’t been perfect.

“You’ve got to enjoy it, football is a short career. I’m buzzing to have made the step-up.

“You see some of the team-sheets and some of the players, they’ve played Premier League for a long time. It’s not going to be easy each week – we don’t have the right to go out and beat teams left, right and centre.

“We’ve shown we’re holding our own. No team has blown us away. We’ve got faith in our own ability as a team. We know we can change it.”

McLaughlin has praised Jordan Archer for recovering from a below-par display at Sunderland – where he conceded two soft goals – as he followed up with a seventh shutout in 18 Championship appearances.

“He’s a naturally confident lad and he knows he has saved us a lot of times this season,” said McLaughlin. “He’s made some crucial saves in big moments.

“He’s got faith in his ability – and so do we. Mistakes are going to happen to every player throughout the season but it’s a really good dressing room in the sense we rally around.”