Meet the opposition | Millwall
As Swansea City prepare to take on Millwall on Tuesday evening (5pm), we take a closer look at the men from The Den.
What’s their story?
A top-flight club in the late 1980s - with the likes of Teddy Sheringham and Tony Cascarino in their side - Millwall were relegated in 1990 and have been floating around the second and third divisions of English football ever since.
They have played in the Championship or League One since their days in the top-tier, most recently being in the third tier between 2015 and 2017.
Neil Harris guided them back to the Championship in 2017, following the disappointment of play-off defeat to Barnsley at Wembley 12 months earlier.
The Lions had a respectable first season back in the second-tier, securing an eighth-place finish, and finished just above the drop zone last term.
They are currently 11th in the standings this season.
How’s their form?
Millwall are among those chasing a play-off spot over the final sequence of fixtures, but they have struggled for consistency.
They have won just four of 14 league games in 2020, and have picked up one point from a possible six following the resumption of the 2019-20 campaign.
However, they have had to play a number of the division’s high-fliers during that sequence, and do potentially have a more favourable run-in than some of their rivals.
Who’s the boss?
Gary Rowett. The former Burton, Birmingham and Derby manager left Stoke halfway through last season as the club struggling to deal with the fall-out of relegation from the Premier League, but returned to management with Millwall following the resignation of Neil Harris.
Ex-defender Rowett played for the likes of Everton, Derby, Birmingham and Leicester across a 16-year career as a professional.
He finished his playing career at Burton before moving into the dugout at the Pirelli Stadium, initially as Paul Peschisolido’s assistant and then as the main man.
He twice led the Brewers to the League Two play-off final before leaving for Birmingham, where he appeared to be doing a fine job before being surprisingly axed.
Rowett then steered Derby to the Championship play-offs before making the ultimately ill-fated move to the Potteries, which ended after eight months with the club having taken just eight wins from 26 league games.
Who are the key men?
Midfielder Jed Wallace has enjoyed an outstanding season for the Lions, and has been directly involved in 19 goals this term, scoring 10 and making nine.
Powerful striker Matt Smith has been in good form and has 13 goals to his name this term, while Wales international Tom Bradshaw is another man in double figures with 10 goals.
In goal, the London club acquired Bartosz Bialkowski on loan from relegated Ipswich and he has impressed, while Shaun Hutchinson has proved a reliable operator at the back since being brought into the side at the end of September, while also showing an ability to chip in with a goal.
