Millwall's Away Form Key to Promotion Push

Casper De Norre believes Millwall’s promotion push will live or die on whether they can once again become the Championship’s away-day specialists.

Alex Neil’s side were ruthless on the road last season, collecting 41 points from 23 away games – the best record in the division. Only champions Coventry City could match their 11 wins away from home. That travelling edge dragged them into the play-off picture once, and De Norre is convinced it has to do the same again.

Millwall opened the new campaign by slipping straight back into that familiar habit. A controlled, clinical 2-0 win at Bristol City on Saturday set the tone and, for De Norre, underlined exactly what this team must be about.

“It’s very important if you want to achieve what we’re trying to achieve, to go and get into those play-offs again,” the 29-year-old told BBC Radio London. “You have to be very good both at home and away, so it’s very good that we can start with an away win.

“We’re off to a perfect start. It’s always a difficult game away at Bristol. I think the game just played out perfectly for us.”

That word – “again” – hangs over Millwall’s season. Again in the play-offs. Again trying to smash through a barrier that has stopped them every time they’ve reached this stage in the second tier. Four play-off campaigns, four semi-final exits.

When pressed on what counts as success this time, De Norre didn’t dress it up. No bold promises, just a clear target.

“Try to be a bit better than we were last year,” he said. “Go into the play-offs and try and finish it in the play-offs rather than going out.”

The scars from May are still fresh. Millwall missed automatic promotion by a single point, watching Ipswich Town snatch second place and the direct route to the Premier League. For a club that has not tasted top-flight football since 1990, that near miss cut deep.

Now the landscape has shifted again with two extra play-off spots on offer, widening the gate but also crowding the race. Millwall know the margins will be just as tight, maybe tighter. That is why De Norre keeps circling back to the same theme: win your battles away from home, and everything else becomes possible.

They proved they could do it over 23 games last season. They’ve proved, already, they can do it again over 90 minutes.

The question now is whether Millwall can finally turn relentless away form into the one thing this club has chased for more than three decades: a return to the top flight.