Alex Neil Urges Millwall Before Hull Vs Millwall First Leg
Millwall face hull vs millwall with a place in the Championship play-off final on the line, and Alex Neil wants his side to lean on the division’s best away record. Friday’s first leg at the MKM Stadium is Millwall’s first play-off appearance in 24 years, with the tie split between a team that finished third and one that finished sixth.
Neil’s message was simple. Millwall need quality in the decisive moments, and he expects the Lions to lean on the habits they have built away from home this season.
Neil’s play-off edge
“I've been in both ends of play-offs, where we've been regarded as favourites or we've been regarded as underdogs. I don't think it really matters,” Neil said at Millwall’s training ground. “It boils down to who plays well on the day. We played Hull twice this season. They beat us at their place. We beat them at their place. And there wasn't a lot in the games. So I don't read into it that way [of Millwall being favourites].”
He has a record that gives his words weight. Neil has steered Hamilton to the Scottish Premiership through the play-offs, guided Sunderland to the Championship through the play-offs, and took Norwich to the Premier League through the play-offs in 2015.
Millwall’s away record
Millwall finished the regular season with the best away record in the Championship, a useful edge for a first leg on the road. They also ended the campaign third, while Hull finished sixth, and in 17 of the past 20 Championship seasons the team in third has beaten the side in sixth in the play-offs.
That trend does not settle this tie by itself, but it shows why Millwall arrive with more than just momentum. Their season outside London has already given them a platform, and Friday is about turning that into a lead before the return leg.
MKM Stadium pressure
Neil kept the focus on execution. “It's going to be the moments that matter,” he said. “Does somebody have a moment of magic, a bit of quality? Making sure you try and limit the mistakes and errors that you make across the game, or somebody might come up with a big save.”
He added that Millwall have the right pieces to handle that sort of night. “We've certainly got guys across our squad that have got that quality and that bit of magic, but equally we've got guys who defend their box brilliantly in big moments, and we've got [Anthony Patterson] in goal, so we can make a big save when required.”
The game kicks off at 8pm and will be shown live on Sky Sports Football from 7pm. Millwall finished their final preparations for the trip to the MKM Stadium at their training ground, with Friday’s first leg now carrying the sort of pressure Neil says his squad needs to handle. The winner will move on to Wembley to face either Southampton or Middlesbrough.
