Joe Edwards admitted Millwall are in the Championship relegation battle after a 2-0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday at The Den.
The Owls were two goals ahead at half-time after a delightful display from Dutch winger Anthony Musaba, who set up Canada international Ike Ugbo before finding the back of the net himself with a composed finish past Matija Sarkic.
The hosts were on the front foot for much of the second half, with Wednesday replacement Ashley Fletcher seeing red for two bookable offences.
However, Edwards’ side are now just one point above the relegation zone in 21st following their fourth consecutive defeat and eighth match without a win.
He said: “Southampton will be a tough game and not to declare an official relegation fight, but we are clearly down that part of the league.
“We are creeping towards that part of the season where it is important we get points on the board.
“Having been there and lived it before, there is no point really getting drawn into playing the fixtures predictions game.
“You never know, we will go to Southampton with absolute belief.
“And who knows, a game like today – which is a should-win in many people’s eyes – maybe the pressure got to us a bit and it ends up being a difficult day, but that could be the turning point.
“That is what football is about, we are not going there to roll over and wait for the next game, we have to go there and find some belief through what is a really really tough period.
“The only way is back in on Monday, stick together, stand up and go and face what is a really tough challenge on Saturday and beyond.”
The result was a huge boost to Wednesday’s survival hopes.
They remain in 23rd but are now just four points away from safety with 13 games to go this season, and manager Danny Rohl was delighted with a win on the road.
He said: “It was a difficult one, we know that coming here is not easy. When I looked at the game against Ipswich, the first 15 minutes I thought Millwall were very strong.
“I think that was the key today, we spoke about making the difference between home and away, I think at home we have had a lot of good performances and good results.
“It was a clear message today, make the difference in every duel and win the second ball.
“I think the two goals we scored were exactly what we wanted, to find the two number 10s and then speed up the game.
“It was great – I would describe today as adult football, if you know what I mean?
“The last few weeks we have spoken about performance away. Today was about taking results, we did well as a team and showed as a team what we have to do in our situation.”
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
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