Barnsley 2-0 Millwall
Liam Trotter blamed himself and his team-mates for “not being at it” as Millwall were brought back down to earth following their Cup heroics.
Second-half goals from Chris Dagnall and Jason Scotland put Millwall out of sight on a night when they rarely threatened to score.
Without loan star Chris Wood, now with Leicester, and Darius Henderson, transferred to Nottingham Forest, Kenny Jackett’s side did not look to have a goal in them at Oakwell.
But Trotter refused to accept that the absence of the pair was to blame for a defeat that dented his side’s play-off ambitions.
He said: “Yes, we have lost two very good strikers and that’s a shame but we still have good quality with people.
“The reason why the goals came for the players who were here before is that we created chances. Well, we didn’t create in this game. We didn’t play well and that is clear to see.”
Pulling no punches, Trotter pointed to a lack of the raw competitive edge that saw Millwall dump Aston Villa out of the FA Cup at The Den last Friday night. He added: “We didn’t get tight to Barnsley’s players and ended up making it too easy for them.
“The FA Cup is enjoyable but the League is more important. The Championship is our bread and butter. We need to do better.”
But Trotter also warned that Millwall should not be judged on this one game. The midfielder is adamant his side, who are six points off the play-offs, will bounce back to make a promotion charge. “I believe in the quality we have here and I have no doubt we can figure in the race,” he said.
“Don’t forget, we started the season down near the bottom of the Championship and then went on a long unbeaten run. If we can do that again, then we’ll have every chance and I think we are capable of it.”
Despite Trotter’s optimism, manager Jackett alluded to the main problem he faces when asked about debutant Rob Hulse, who came on from the bench with the Lions on the back foot.
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“Rob is a target man and an experienced striker in an area where we need options,” said Jackett, giving a clue to his hopes of signing another forward before the window closes. “We created one chance in each half. Other than that, we didn’t create enough.”
CRYSTAL PALACE were today set to discuss terms with Peterborough’s George Boyd after having a bid accepted for the midfielder. The deal is unlikely to be concluded in time for Boyd to play at Huddersfield tonight.
Wilfried Zaha has spoken for the first time about his move to Manchester United. The striker, 19, will remain at Palace on loan until the end of the season and he told Palace Player: “I’m glad I’m back as I didn’t want to leave the job unfinished. I want to get back to trying to get us to the Premier League.”
