Millwall

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."

Image source, EFL

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.

This will be the 76th meeting between Millwall and Charlton Athletic, with all 75 previous games in the English Football League and none in cup competitions.

Millwall are unbeaten in their past three home league games while Charlton have failed to win on any of their past eight road trips, with their last away victory coming at Ipswich on 21 October.

• Millwall are unbeaten across their past 13 league games against Charlton Athletic (W7 D6), since a 2-0 defeat in March 1996. They have conceded just eight goals in these 13 games, four of which came in the first match in the run (4-4 in December 2009).

• Charlton Athletic have lost nine of their past 12 away league games against Millwall (W1 D2), losing their past three in succession. Their only victory during that time came with a 2-0 success in December 1995.

• Having lost three of their first four home league games this season (W1), Millwall have now lost just one of their past 10 at The Den (W7 D2).

• Charlton have won just one of their past 18 away London derbies in the Championship (D5 L12), conceding at least twice in each of their past six.

• Charlton have won just two of their past 13 league games (D3 L8), with both victories in that run coming at home.

Image source, Shutterstock

All English Football League games across a four-day period in February will begin one minute late to raise awareness for the Every Minute Matters campaign.

The initiative will be in place for 36 matches across the Championship, League One and League Two between 5 and 9 February.

EFL sponsor Sky Bet and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) have been working together since May 2024 to highlight the importance of speed when it comes to performing live-saving CPR.

Later kick-off times will serve as "a stark reminder that every minute matters", the EFL said.

Bristol Rovers defender Tom Lockyer collapsed while playing for Luton Town eight minutes into the Championship play-off final against Coventry in May 2023.

Lockyer then suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch seven months later during a Premier League game at Bournemouth.

"What happened to me can happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time," said Lockyer, who is now a BHF ambassador.

"Every year, more than 40,000 people in the UK suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and most of them never make it home.

"I'm here today because of the transformative power of CPR as every minute matters when it comes to saving a life.

"This February, we want everyone to get behind this life-saving initiative, learn the skills and be ready to step in because your actions could give someone else the chance I was given."

Throughout February, the Every Minute Matters campaign will call on fans to learn CPR using the BHF's online RevivR, external tool.

"Each minute without CPR reduces a person's chance of survival, so we're urging fans to learn the skills now, before you ever need them," said Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the BHF.

EFL chief executive officer Trevor Birch added: "The one minute kick-off adjustment is a simple, powerful reminder that swift CPR can be the difference between life and death."

League Two promotion contenders Salford City are plotting an ambitious move for Millwall striker Macauley Langstaff. (Alan Nixon - subscription required), external

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

Image source, PA Media

Millwall head coach Alex Neil says the 2-1 defeat at Coventry on Tuesday night was "a game of fine margins".

"The game was very tight, they had their moments but I thought we had really good moments in the game," Neil told BBC Radio London.

"I thought up until the 78th minute, right before they scored, three or four of the opportunities came our way and we looked more likely to get the goal.

"Then they scored and from there we opened the whole game up. It looked a bit scrappy and a bit messy but we needed to try and force the issue.

"The game would never have got to that if we'd taken our chances beforehand because if we scored we'd have locked the game up and it would have been a different story."

Image source, Opta

Championship leaders Coventry City host Millwall in an important clash in the race for promotion on Tuesday night (19:45 GMT kick-off).

The Sky Blues picked up just their second win in six games last time out against Leicester to maintain their six-point lead over Middlesbrough in second.

The Lions are unbeaten in their past five (W3 D2) and are just three points behind Boro.

• Coventry City have won five of their past six league meetings with Millwall (D1), keeping five clean sheets in these six encounters.

• Millwall have failed to score in their past three Championship matches against Coventry, but have never gone four successive league meetings with the Sky Blues without a goal.

• Coventry are unbeaten in their previous seven league games played in midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), winning five and drawing two since a 0-2 defeat to Derby in March 2025.

• Millwall have only managed to win three of their past 21 away league games played in midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday), drawing nine and losing nine in this time.

• Against no side in his league career for Coventry has Haji Wright scored more goals than he has against Millwall (4, level with Sunderland), netting a double in both of his previous two Championship matches against the Lions.

Millwall are reportedly rivalling Stoke City and Preston North End to sign veteran midfielder Barry Bannan from Sheffield Wednesday, but Owls boss Henrik Pedersen is hopeful the 36-year-old will stay at the club. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Monday's gossip column here.

Millwall boss Alex Neil speaking after his side's 2-0 win at Watford:

"At this stage of the season, winning is obviously the most important thing, but how you win does matter.

"In the first half we were very dominant and they couldn't get out of their half much.

"We talk a lot about doing the hard yards and sometimes at this level you can beat teams through persistence and put the effort in that maybe other teams won't.

"So I was delighted with the lads. I thought we showed real hunger, real desire and I thought that we deservedly won the game."

Watford boss Javi Gracia speaking after his side's 2-0 defeat to Millwall:

"It's obvious this wasn't our best game. We knew that Millwall are really strong, but we didn't do our job.

"We tried to find a way to progress and play in our style, but we didn't do it.

"When we conceded the first goal after a mistake it was difficult for us to control the game. Millwall deserved their reward.

"When it came to showing our quality one-on-one or finishing with composure today was not our day.

"I'm frustrated, the players are frustrated, our fans are frustrated. We suffered today because Millwall were strong, but they did their job. We knew that before the game.

"We have to learn that when games are so tight and close, we have to be ready to defend and attack in small spaces."

Image source, Opta

It's a big game in the Championship play-off race as sixth-placed Watford and fifth-placed Millwall meet at Vicarage Road on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Depending on results elsewhere, a place in the top-four is at stake for the winners, with the Lions holding a two-point advantage over the in-form Hornets before kick-off.

Javi Gracia's side have won four straight games and taken 17 points from their past seven games while Alex Neil's men are unbeaten in four, claiming eight points and conceding only two goals.

• Watford have lost five of their past seven league games against Millwall (W1 D1), losing 1-0 away at the Den earlier this season.

• Following a 2-1 win at Vicarage Road last season, Millwall are looking for consecutive away league wins at Watford for the first time since a run of four between October 1995 and January 2002.

• No current side is on a longer Championship winning run than Watford, who've won their last four games. The Hornets are looking to win five in a row for the first time since a run of six in March/April 2021.

• Since Alex Neil's first Championship game in charge of Millwall, only Coventry City (93) have picked up more points than the Lions (80). Neil's next game will be his 50th league game in charge – he has 23 wins so far, with only Mark McGhee (29) and the joint manager duo Keith Stevens and Alan McLeary (26) having won more in their first 50 games.

• Watford have scored 16 goals when they've been losing in the Championship this season, two more than any other team when they've been trailing. The Hornets have outshot their opponents 132 to 66 when losing (+66 differential), with only Middlesbrough having a better difference in 2025/26 (+94).

Millwall are keen on taking Sunderland and former England Under-21 goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, 25, on loan. (Alan Nixon - subscription required), external

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Thursday's gossip column here.