Millwall

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Millwall head coach Alex Neil says fending off interest in attacker Femi Azeez from Ipswich Town shows the strength of their position in the race for promotion to the Premier League.

The Tractor Boys identified the 24-year-old as a key target in the January transfer window but were not able to lure him from The Den.

"I think what [message] it sends to people is the fact that we're in a really good spot," Neil told BBC Radio London.

"We don't need to sell any of our players. We're one point behind Ipswich who have come and coveted our player and wanted to talk to him.

"And the fact that it's going to be a squad game, we need to make sure that we've got strength and depth in all areas and we're not light in specific parts of our team.

"So I think it shows everybody that as a club we're in a strong position."

Neil praised James Berylson for being a "great owner" who "wants us to do well" and is fully focused on the Lions striving for top-flight football for the first time since 1990.

"He wants us to fight and be at the top end of the division, but equally there's a business behind that as well," Neil said.

"There's times where the business becomes more prominent and important, when we're needing to sell and maybe generate some cash.

"There's times where the football team is trying to achieve and trying to retain our best players is more prominent.

"And we're certainly at this moment in time focused on purely what we can achieve this year."

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Millwall boss Alex Neil believes new signings Barry Bannan and Tommy Watson can help give his side the edge as the scrap for Championship play-off places intensifies.

The Lions moved to bring in England Under-21s forward Watson on loan from Brighton until the end of the season, just days after securing veteran midfield playmaker Bannan on a permanent deal.

"As a club we're in a strong position," Neil told BBC Radio London. "Probably the one element we needed to add was a little bit more creativity across the squad.

"So in tight moments we've got a player who can maybe dance past somebody and put one in the far corner, a player who can pick a pass out or produce a moment of quality from a dead ball.

"The more of those players we've got available to us, the higher the likelihood those tight games will end in our favour. The lads we've brought in have been brought in specifically to add in those areas."

The fifth-placed Lions, who also signed Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson on loan before the transfer deadline, travel to Wrexham - one place and three points below them - on Saturday (15:01 GMT).

"I think we go into the next 16 games in a really good spot," Neil added. "We're focused purely on what we can achieve this year."

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Two of the Championship's form teams meet in a huge play-off showdown when Wrexham host Millwall on Saturday (15:01 GMT).

The Red Dragons have roared up to sixth in the table off the back of six wins in eight games since Christmas, however the four points they have dropped came at home to Norwich and Leicester in their past two games at the Stok Cae Ras.

The Lions are fifth, three points ahead of Wrexham, with an inferior goal difference, but have won just one of their past five on the road, earning five points and scoring just four goals.

• Wrexham are hosting Millwall in a league match for the first time since a 1-1 draw in April 2001, a result that secured the Lions' promotion to the second tier.

• Millwall have won just two of their past 16 league games against Wrexham (D9 L5), losing this season's reverse fixture 2-0 in August.

• Wrexham have won six of their past eight league games (D1 L1), with no Championship side picking up more wins (6) or more points (19) since Christmas than the Red Dragons.

• Millwall have lost just one of their past eight league games (W4 D3), going down 2-1 at league leaders Coventry last month.

• Wrexham have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Championship this season (20), though they also rank third for most points won from losing positions (15).

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Today is the final chance of the season for your Championship team to do transfer business.

The window closes at 19:00 GMT, meaning teams - and fans - can avoid the usual late-night transfer scramble.

It has already been a busy window - for some teams anyway - but whether it turns out to be a day of transfer action or a pretty quiet one for your club, you will be able to keep across it all on BBC Sport.

Follow our live text coverage throughout the day here

Millwall boss Alex Neil believes his promotion-chasing side lacked a 'little detail' in the final third during their 1-1 draw at home to Sheffield United.

Andre Brooks fired the Blades ahead on 17 minutes, but Mihailo Ivanovic struck in an instinctive equaliser two minutes later.

Although both sides had spells of possession in a back and forth contest, neither were able to find a winner at The Den.

"I thought it was a tight game, I thought it was a good game, I thought both teams had their moments," said Neil to BBC Radio London.

"I thought it ebbed and flowed in terms of it, with bits where we were on top and looked likely to score. I thought they then got on top in certain spells in the game. And I always knew it was going to be a tough game.

"Chris's [Wilder] teams, they're very similar to us. They roll off the left, hold width on the right, they press the ball, they get after you, and everything, when it drops in the middle, becomes a bit of a fight, a bit of a battle, and you've got to make sure you land on second balls."

He added: "The only frustrating thing from my point of view is towards the end, with some really good positions that we got into, it's just maybe that little lack of detail, lack of quality, just to try and finish it off and get the goal that really mattered."

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Millwall will look to keep their quest to return to the top flight for the first time since 1990 on track when they welcome Sheffield United on Saturday (kick-off 15:00 GMT).

The Lions are fifth, six points clear of seventh and six points off the top-two. Alex Neil's side have lost just once in their past seven games (W4 D2).

The Blades picked up an impressive 3-1 win over Ipswich last time out but have struggled for consistency with four wins, four defeats and a draw in their past nine games, leaving them 17th - six points clear of the drop zone and nine behind the play-offs.

• Millwall have won 1-0 in their previous two league games against Sheffield United, and could keep three consecutive clean sheets against them for the very first time.

• Sheffield United won this exact fixture in the Championship last season (1-0), and will be looking to win away to Millwall in back-to-back campaigns for the first time since 2004-05 (2-1) and 2005-06 (4-0).

• Since the start of last season, Coventry (25) are the only team who have won more Championship home matches than Millwall (21), with the Lions currently on a three-game winning streak at The Den.

• Chris Wilder has lost three of his five Championship games in charge of Sheffield United against Millwall's Alex Neil (W2); against no other manager has he lost more often with the Blades in the second tier (also three defeats to Daniel Farke and Lee Johnson).

• Alfie Doughty has made more assists than any other Millwall player in the Championship this season (5), and has only provided more in a single league campaign once in his career (8 in the 2023-24 Premier League season for Luton).

Sheffield Wednesday have rejected a second seven-figure bid from Millwall for Swedish midfielder Svante Ingelsson, 27, while the Lions have also made a £300,000 offer for Owls striker Bailey Cadamarteri with Portsmouth also said to be keen on the 20-year-old. (The Star), external

For more transfer news and rumours, read Thursday's full gossip column here.

Evelyn Beesley
Fan writer

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Saturday saw a brilliant victory over local rivals Charlton, one that all Millwall fans will certainly be pleased with as it extends South London bragging rights for yet another season in the 30-year undefeated streak.

The game featured goals from Caleb Taylor, Luke Cundle and an own goal from Kayne Ramsay, but for me the most interesting goal of the afternoon came from Aidomo Emakhu.

As many Millwall fans would agree, Emakhu is an incredibly talented player who has absolutely shown promise as an attacking force for the Lions. However, his ability to finish in front of goal has left room for improvement.

The Irishman repeatedly tears open defences and, especially as a substitute, can be a game-changer for getting forward.

This marks only his second goal of the season in 31 appearances and, since joining Millwall, his highest goal scoring tally to date. While his goal scoring numbers are hindered by often coming off the bench as opposed to playing full 90 minutes, Emakhu has missed chances at goal.

I can only hope this goal in his appearance as a substitute will allow him to gain confidence and composure while shooting in future games. I'm sure many other Millwall fans will share my sentiment in wanting him to succeed but also to increase that goal difference continuing into the season.

Millwall's dominant performance was truly indicative of Alex Neil's managerial philosophy, encouraging the team to continue pushing when leading, a huge contrast from managerial styles seen at The Den in the past.

This philosophy will surely be the key to Millwall's push for promotion, instilling a 'never give up' mentality in the team.

This mentality is proven to be successful by the statistics, with Millwall having 23 shots with six being on target, while Charlton merely had three shots with only one on target.

I feel another performance similar to Saturday's against Sheffield United can almost guarantee capturing another three points in the race for promotion.

You can hear more from Eve Beesley on Achtung! Millwall., external

Millwall boss Alex Neil speaking after his side's 4-0 win over Charlton Athletic:

"I thought the performance, the result, was a fair reflection.

"My biggest frustration going in at half-time was that with the clear-cut chances that we'd had, the scoreline wasn't more in our favour, and what we spoke about at half-time was to go and get the next goal. We needed to put the game to bed.

"I thought them having the ball a little bit, which is not something I'd usually do, was beneficial for us. And I thought it panned out that way in the first half.

"And in the second half we really turned the screw, got into them a little bit more, got more combinations down both sides, got into really good positions.

"And to see the clinical nature at the end was more pleasing for me because I think that's the bit right now we need to be better at and I really want to push on.

"I thought four certainly didn't flatter us."

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A new initiative highlighting the work of football club charities has been launched by the English Football League (EFL).

'Scan to Smile' will be rolled out in stadiums across the EFL from Friday until the end of January, with supporters invited to scan QR codes on posters displayed around grounds.

Each scan will unlock a short, uplifting story from a person whose life has been positively impacted by the support of their local club charity.

The subjects tackled include mental health support, combating loneliness, improving physical wellbeing, employability and confidence.

The EFL said it hoped the initiative would use "the reach and influence of football to offer fans a moment of positivity on matchday".

Trevor Birch, chief executive at the EFL, said: "Behind every club are people whose lives have been positively changed through the work and dedication of their local EFL club charity.

"This initiative gives supporters the chance to see that impact first-hand and reminds us that football truly is a force for good."

Millwall, Wrexham and Rangers are interested in signing 26-year-old Tunisia right-back Yan Valery from Sheffield Wednesday. (The Star), external

Read all the latest EFL transfer rumours in Friday's gossip column here.