Murray Wallace approaching Championship milestone – Millwall defender on the pitfalls if a team gets too cocky

Murray Wallace is only four matches shy of making 200 Championship appearances, so the Scot is well-versed in the pitfalls and traps that can befall teams once they get above their station.

The Lions will resume Championship action on Saturday at Sunderland looking to strengthen their grip on a play-off place.

Millwall’s 4-2 win at Preston North End before the break, to coincide with the start of the World Cup, means Gary Rowett’s side have made their best start to a second tier season after 19 games in the last decade.

But Wallace is staying grounded.

“When things are going well that is when the league is almost at its most dangerous,” said the Glasgow-born former Scunthorpe United, Huddersfield and Falkirk defender. “It’s something we re-iterate within the squad.

“We have a good couple of results and then we make sure we don’t get carried away because when you do -start thinking you’re something that you’re not, that you’re better than you are or forget what got you there – that is when you tend to come a little bit undone.

“For example, we were on a good run of wins and then we came up against Huddersfield, bottom of the league and not in great form, and they beat us.

“They scored a pretty lucky goal, but we didn’t play great. It’s important then you remember the good things that put us in that position.”

Wallace has started all 16 of the league matches he has been available for this season. He missed three fixtures with a groin problem which forced him off in the 2-1 success at Bristol City.

Then he was suspended for the stalemate with Hull after picking up five bookings, including three in a row to force him back on to the sidelines.

“I’d felt the injury a couple of weeks prior to the game – it was a niggling sort of one,” said the 29-year-old.

“It was a little touch and go in that game and I think I went to sprint or kick a ball and just felt it go. You know when you are lacking that power to push off and do certain things.

“That is kind of where I was at in that game. It reminded me of what happened at the end of last season at Bournemouth. I had a similar kind of feeling and didn’t want to make it any worse. It was the right thing to do, not carrying on, and probably limited the damage that was there. I made a relatively quick comeback from it.”

Wallace broke Bart Bialkowski’s strangehold on Millwall’s Player of the Season award when he claimed the accolade in May.

“I’ve been doing okay this season – not great,” said the former Scotland U21 international. “I’ve been a little bit disappointed that I haven’t been at the same consistent levels as last season.

“I always want to improve. There are little silly mistakes that have led to goals which has been frustrating – it’s those lapses of concentration that I’ll be looking to cut out. I’ll look to stay focused and keep trying to put in better performances.”

Wallace has tended to chip in with goals – he scored six times last season – but is yet to get off the mark in the current campaign.

Instead it has been Leeds loanee Charlie Cresswell leading the way for the centre-backs with four.

“He’s sort of got the Midas touch – everything he touches is a goal at the moment,” said Wallace. “That’s a credit to him.

“He’s a young lad and it’s always going to take a little bit of time to get used to the Championship – to gel with your new team and also get a feel what the level is about.

“He played the first few games, then was out for the next few games and then he was back in.

“You can see now in his performances that he has really grown in confidence – the goals are helping but it’s also the fact the results are going our way as well.

“It will do wonders for his development.”