Millwall’s first days back in pre-season a show of ‘respectful mourning’ for Matija Sarkic

Millwall returned to pre-season training on Wednesday, with head coach Neil Harris commending the unity on show as the Championship club adjust to the loss of Matija Sarkic.

The Lions’ 26-year-old goalkeeper passed away in Montenegro earlier this month.

Millwall’s players and training ground staff held a minute’s silence at the club’s Calmont Road training ground, forming a circle as they paid their respects to Sarkic, who was signed from Wolves last summer.

“It’s been really bizarre and surreal times,” Harris told the South London Press. “The players have had a two-week, or 10-day period, to take it in by talking from afar and talking together – a WhatsApp group etc – to try and understand what happened.

“Then you have got the emotion of being back together as a group and being back in the building for the first time.

“What I will say is the players have handled that brilliantly and the staff have been magnificent in handling it.

“I decided to break this period. The first three days in this week – Wednesday, Thursday, Friday – we used it as respectful mourning time for Mati. The support of the football club to the players has been magnificent, in that sense.

“My first words to the guys were: ‘We remember Mati as a friend and a colleague – we feel love and affection. It is okay to laugh while we are here, but it is also to have moments of sorrow as well. There have been all those emotions within the building. But these aren’t moments that define us as footballers – these are moments that define us as men and human beings’.

“The leadership of the senior players has been phenomenal. Everybody seems to be handling it really well. It’s been a real strength this week to have the core group of players who were here, just being us within the building. Ultimately our biggest strength as a football club is being us.

“I’ve seen unbelievable strength of character from the group this season and no surprise that we won eight out of 13 games at the end of last season. No wonder we have dealt with this situation so strongly as a unit. I lead the troops but it is down to them as well – I can’t commend them enough.

“Next week we come in Monday and I’ve been clear to the players – time is a healer and helps, but we never forget Mati – we will always remember and talk to him. But when we come in Monday we think about prepping for the season properly.”