Pompey's upcoming opponents show 'determination and desire' as unbeaten run stretches to eight games

Millwall boss Neil Harris has praised the ‘determination and desire’ from his players as they drew 1-1 with Sunderland this weekend. The Lions head to Fratton Park on Wednesday night to play Pompey.

They fell behind to the Black Cats at The Den in the first half after Aaron Connolly scored. However, the hosts managed to snatch a point in added-on time at the end of the game through winger Femi Azeez.

Harris wasn’t happy with Millwall’s performance in the first 45 minutes. They were much better after the break though and he has said: “I’d say it (the first half) is probably the most disappointed I have been with my team since arriving at the club in February. All the things I talk about that a Millwall team should do, we didn’t do.

“We didn’t defend our box or mid third, we didn’t win our headers, we didn’t win our tackles, we didn’t win our set-plays and the goal was a shambles on the set-up from the set-play. We didn’t play forward or run forward. We passed the ball off the pitch. We lacked a real identity to what we are as a team. We didn’t look like a team that had been seven games unbeaten.”

‘We adjusted’...

He added: “We adjusted at half-time. The break at 41 minutes gave me a chance to do a little bit of technical detail to how I’d like us to play and the opportunity arose at half-time to change formation slightly and let the players have it.

“I’ve had my say how poor the first half was, now I’d like to praise the players for the leadership qualities, determination and desire – the whole football stadium – for the atmosphere in the second half. They fed off the quality of play we had. We looked like a team that could pass through and cut Sunderland open, we could play around the outside, run forward, play incisive passes and create chances. We could also run forward, play forward and pick up second balls.”

Harris also shared an injury update ahead of their trip to Pompey, with defender Jake Cooper out: “It is circa 10 weeks (He will be out). It is a knee injury he picked up after 15 seconds against Stoke. He completed the game and was able to take his kids out on the Sunday. On Monday if flared up and was swollen. We scanned him at the start of last week and it showed the damage. He is going to be in a brace for six weeks and then the timeframe after that, recovery period, is three to four weeks.”

Pompey’s upcoming opponents are sat in 8th place in the table. They are only three points off the play-offs and are unbeaten in eight games.