Millwall striker Benik Afobe on Tom Bradshaw’s injury, scoring against Crystal Palace and how many goals he should be on

Benik Afobe has offered words of encouragement to Tom Bradshaw after their productive strike partnership was ended on Saturday.

One of the duo had scored in Millwall’s last eight matches before last weekend’s 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest.

But the fact that run did not continue was partly due to the fact that Bradshaw, who recently put paper on a contract extension until 2024, came off with ligament damage to his left knee that is set to rule him out for 12 weeks.

Afobe suffered ACL damage in 2013 that forced him to cut short a loan stay with the Lions. He only featured five times before he was back at Arsenal.

“I’m just gutted about it for Tom because he is one of the nicest guys in football – no-one in the changing room can say anything bad about him,” Afobe told the South London Press. “I did say to him that at least he was doing so well that the last thing on people’s minds is Tom Bradshaw the goalscorer.

“A few months ago he was nowhere near playing and he was on the bench – if he got injured then he would have been even more down.

“The positive is he has signed a contract for his family and he was doing well. It will give him more motivation to come back as good, if not better, than he was doing already. Hopefully we’ll see him again in a Millwall shirt this season.

“He has been there before when he did his ACL in his other knee. This injury isn’t as serious as the one he did before – I’m sure it won’t take him as long to get up and running again.

“I know he has got good family around him along with a manager and team-mates who believe in him. I said to him: ‘Just take the week off – eat what you want and do what you want’. Because he is so far away, at the moment.

“Take that time so when you do get your rehab going then you’re hungry because you miss it as well. He is a good lad and very professional. I’m gutted because he is going to miss so many games but I’m not worried about when he comes back, because he is going to be flying. That’s 100 per cent – he puts too much work in.”

In the short-term it breaks up a frontline that seemed to be flourishing.

Afobe has been part of highly-effective frontlines before – picking out his link up with Nouha Dicko and Bakary Sako at Wolves and the understanding he forged with Joshua King at Bournemouth.

“But the Afobe-Bradshaw combination is definitely up there,” he added. “He scores the goals that are a proper number nine striker’s goals. That helps the team.

“I’m more the ball carrier or hold up – trying to get past players. But the way Tom plays he takes away defenders and gives me the opportunity to be one-v-one against them. The way I play allows him to get the scrappy goals, the six-yarders, because I take people out the way as well.

“It helps we get on well off the pitch. There is that famous story that Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham didn’t speak to each other at Manchester United. I’m lucky – I’ve been friends with every single player at my clubs. There’s not been one player I didn’t like. I could go to dinner with all of the players in our dressing room now.”

Afobe has scored six goals in 23 appearances for Millwall and has started nine of their last 10 matches. He is getting the regular action he craved when he assessed his exit options from Stoke last summer.

“I’m very happy with my performances but I should be on 10 goals,” said Afobe.

“I’ve missed chances that I’d back myself to score.

“I was really good against Forest but the game could’ve been really different if I’d scored that chance.

“I felt I’ve done well against Bristol City, Bournemouth and Birmingham. They are the ones that stand out for me, along with the Forest one. They show I’m one of the better ones in the league.

“The disappointing thing is we’ve been in the lead at Bristol and against Palace and let it slide. We could easily have won the Forest game 2-0. I feel we’ve got better as a team even if results haven’t quite shown that.”

The opportunity that Afobe has already referenced from last weekend saw Forest keeper Brice Samba deny him after he had met Mason Bennett’s cross at close range.

“It’s not a simple finish,” said Afobe. “It’s the 89th minute, I’ve run into the box and at that stage you are really tired. The first thing you think about, especially being on my weaker foot, is keep it on target.

“You want to make good contact. I missed one against Derby where I didn’t make any contact – and if I’d made any it would’ve been a goal.

“I’ve gone the other way and probably gone too safe – if I’ve leathered the ball then it probably would’ve gone past the keeper because I was so close.

“You live and learn. I’ve seen better players than me miss easier chances – Ronaldo and Messi.”

One opportunity that Afobe did tuck away was to put Millwall ahead in their FA Cup third round tie against local rivals Crystal Palace.

Afobe and Bradshaw’s pincer-like press forced Eagles goalkeeper Jack Butland to panic, leaving the former with the relatively straightforward task of rolling the ball into an unguarded net and sending the home areas of the Den into a frenzy.

“We know how much the match meant to the fans and the atmosphere in the stadium was incredible,” said Afobe.

“It felt like a proper, proper top-level game.

“I’ve played in the Premier League more than 60 times and the atmosphere was probably up there with the Old Traffords and Anfields on that day.

“To go 1-0 up and see the faces of the fans was great.

“I’m a people-pleaser by nature.

“I could see that our supporters were buzzing and then I could see that my team-mates are running towards me – that’s what I live for as a centre-forward.

“I’ve never been one that is ‘look at me, look at what I do’.

“It’s the faces of the fans and my team-mates when we’re doing well, that’s what makes me tick and want to do it again.”

Only the technical ability of Michael Olise turned the tie in Palace’s favour as the former Reading star injected some quality after a flaccid first-half display from the Eagles.

Olise scored and then assisted Jean-Philippe Mateta’s winner in a brief purple patch for the visitors.

It was the Lions knocking on the door for a leveller in the final 25 minutes as well.

“We went toe to toe with a top Premier League side with arguably their strongest team, bar Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha,” said Afobe.

“We didn’t look out of place. That could easily have been a Premier League game. We’re not a million miles away.

“We take a lot of confidence away from it, for sure.”