Millwall supersub Fred Onyedinma wants bigger role – but sees increased competition as a challenge

By Richard Cawley

richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Fred Onyedinma is determined to show he can play a bigger role for Millwall after his matchwinner at Birmingham City on Saturday.

The 21-year-old attacker has started just seven of the club’s 32

Championship matches. But he took on the mantle of supersub at the weekend as his goal secured maximum points for the South Londoners.

Onyedinma has seen the competition rise with the January arrivals of Ben Marshall and Tim Cahill.

“With other players that come in who play the same position as me, you just have to take it as a challenge,” said the Millwall youth product.

“We’re all team-mates and we’re all here to help each other, so it’s been good. We can all learn from each other.

“I can’t really complain. What is that going to do?

“I need to just work hard and show the manager that I should be playing. That’s what everyone should do.”

When asked what boss Neil Harris had told him before his introduction at St Andrews, Onyedinma replied: “He didn’t say too much – he just told me to do what I do.

“He was just happy for me to have got the winning goal.”

Millwall are 14 points clear of 22nd-placed Barnsley and are 250/1 to go down.

But Onyedinma refuses to believe that the Lions are safe. He added: “We can’t say that – everyone knows football – anything can happen.

“We just have to keep pushing, who knows where we might end up?

“I’ve been working hard but not playing as much as I would have liked. But I’ve put my head down and luckily I got the goal. I’m happy.”