Harris slams players for switching off in Millwall defeat

Neil Harris criticised his Millwall side for switching off after Blackburn grabbed two late goals in a 2-0 victory at The Den.

The game look destined for a draw before substitute Adam Armstrong’s cross was deflected by Millwall skipper Shaun Hutchinson, under pressure from Joe Nuttall, into his own net after 86 minutes.

Armstrong then wrapped up Blackburn’s first away victory since the start of October with a stunning solo strike, with Ryan Leonard’s shot on the hour the closest Millwall came to a goal as they saw a four-match winning run brought to an end.

Defeat leaves the Lions looking over their shoulder, with just five points separating them from the Championship relegation zone, and Harris admitted his side were punished for losing their concentration.

“I’m frustrated, definitely,” he said. “That was a 0-0 draw all the way through. I can’t really remember many chances at either end.

“I felt that we put some good balls into their box but didn’t really attack them, and they had two or three free-kicks and applied a little bit of pressure in the second half. But I never felt like we were going to concede a goal.

“I think that once again it’s the reality of where we’re at, it’s another learning curve. If you switch off at any moment in the Championship, against any side above you in the league, you’ll get punished.

“We switched off at 86 minutes and the ball goes in our net. The second goal is disappointing – it’s a killer. If you don’t concede straight away, you may get that little bit of momentum and that one chance in stoppage time.”