Alex Neil delivers Final verdict following Leeds FA Cup clash and Dagenham & Redbridge win
Alex Neil was pleased with Millwall’s 3-0 victory over Dagenham & Redbridge in the FA Cup third round at The Den. The Lions triumphed with goals from Mihailo Ivanovic, Casper De Norre, and debutant Ra’ees Bangura-Williams. The game was largely decided in the final 20 minutes after Dagenham, who had shown some resistance, stepped up their game in the second half. Neil’s first win in charge was a boost, setting up a fourth-round clash away at Leeds United.
Post-match, Neil expressed his satisfaction with the performance, noting, “I thought it was an enjoyable game for us, we moved the ball well. We scored three goals and probably should have scored more.” He acknowledged the tough challenge Dagenham provided, adding, “You’ve got to give credit to Dagenham. They stayed in the game and made it tough for us.”
A standout moment for Neil was the impact of the young players, particularly Bangura-Williams, who marked his debut with a goal. Neil said, “There’s nothing better than when you put a couple of young lads on and one of them puts the ball in the net. It’s a great feeling for them and a great feeling for me watching it and the supporters.”
Millwall has struggled with scoring this season, sitting as joint-lowest scorers in the Championship, but the team has netted five goals in their last two outings. However, Neil cautioned against reading too much into the performance given the opposition, saying, “It’s difficult to say; it’s a cup tie, we’re at home and playing a team in the Conference, so that’s not going to have any bearing on how many goals we score going forward in the Championship.” He remained hopeful that the team’s recent improvements in attacking play would translate to more goals in future matches.
