Three big takeaways from Millwall’s win against Derby County

A 95th minute winner from Josh Coburn meant Alex Neil’s side came away from the Midlands with a precious three points.

The Lions will not catch high-flying Sunderland and Burnley, but following Blackburn Rovers’ defeat to Swansea City, they are only six points behind fifth and sixth.

Derby was a potential banana skin for Millwall as they began their run-in, but they came out unscathed and still dreaming of the big time.

Here is what we learned from Millwall’s victory against Derby:

Josh Coburn’s return could be season-defining

The 22-year-old is only just making his return from a broken metatarsal in his foot, but it did not take him long to establish himself again.

Coburn stepped up and took Millwall’s 83rd minute penalty with the hope of breaking the deadlock.

Despite his tame effort being saved, the young forward did not shrink and instead found himself in the right place to tap home the rebound from George Saville’s shot in the final moments.

The character that the Englishman showed at Pride Park is exactly what his side needed and will need as they look to push ahead for a top six finish.

Coburn scored on his debut for the club before getting injured in his second appearance and upon his return from that injury he scored once more.

In total, the Middlesbrough loanee has totalled nine appearances in south London and had a return of three goals.

The stop-start nature of Coburn’s loan has not helped him find consistency or momentum, but he has still found a way to have an impact on Neil’s side.

With 12 more league games to go, Coburn will almost feel like a new signing. Following the 1-1 draw against Preston North End, Neil spoke of his excitement to finally have Coburn at his disposal.

The Lions will need every edge they can get on their opponents and the 22-year-old brings a hunger and desire that could just fire them to the play-offs.

Are the football gods on Millwall’s side?

An away trip to Pride Park is not an easy game – just ask Sunderland and Sheffield United – but one way or another, Millwall found a way to leave victorious.

It was not pretty, it was not a dominant win against a relegation-threatened side, but they got the job done.

There were many hairy moments, in particular Femi Azeez’s goal-saving block onto his own crossbar, which then ricocheted back off his head and into the grateful grasp of Lukas Jensen.

Even with Coburn’s late penalty miss, Millwall found a way to win. It was the type of result that makes someone say ‘the gods were on their side today’.

Even looking at the table, many fans felt that Millwall had thrown away their chances of promotion following back-to-back draws and a hammering from Plymouth Argyle.

Yet after their weekend victory, the Lions are still only two wins off the sides occupying fifth and sixth – Blackburn and West Brom.

Even looking at Millwall’s remaining fixtures, their play-off reality is in their hands. Eight of their 12 games come against sides higher than them in the table.

While it makes for a tricky end to the season for Neil’s team, they are not having to rely on other sides doing the business for them, but instead are masters of their own destiny. If the gods were not already on Millwall’s side, they will be hoping they are for the rest of the season.

Bristol City and Watford are must wins

This all leads into what comes next at The Den. With a week’s break for the FA Cup fifth round, Neil has his first free week to prepare and plan for the final few months of the season.

He will have a decision to make, whether to rotate his side for the game at Selhurst Park, or to throw the bus at their south London rivals.

Fans will be hoping they give a good account of themselves against Premier League opposition, but it will be in the back of Neil’s mind just how important their upcoming league fixtures are.

Bristol City visit The Den three days after the Lions’ FA Cup clash off the back of an 11-day break, having defeated Middlesbrough 2-1 last Friday (February 21).

They will also be sat four points above their hosts as they also vie for a play-off spot. It will be another tough game for Millwall and they will need to be at their best to secure the three points.

Despite the Lions only being in the fifth round of the cup, every game from here out is a cup final.

A trip to Vicarage Road follows immediately after – a stadium where Millwall have won, lost and drawn in their three recent visits.

The Hornets also sit above the Lions currently by only three points. To capitalise on their vital win against Derby, Millwall need to record wins against both to truly be in contention for the play-offs.

A bare minimum is that they win one, otherwise Neil can begin preparing his side for another season in the Championship.