Andrew Crofts intent on ending Addicks’ Millwall hoodoo

George Jones reports

Andrew Crofts and his teammates are determined to be the first Charlton team to beat Millwall in more than 20 years when the two sides meet at The Den on Wednesday night.

The Addicks last overcame the Lions in March 1996 and, although that was followed by a 14-year spell in which we did not face one another, we have since gone eight matches against them without tasting victory.

And experienced midfielder Crofts says that he cannot wait to add Charlton-Millwall to his derby-match CV, which already includes Norwich City-Ipswich Town and Brighton & Hove Albion-Crystal Palace.

“We know it’s over 20 years and if we are the team to do it then that would be brilliant,” he said. “We obviously play them again in January but Wednesday is massive.

“I want to be involved in the team that beats Millwall and everyone in that changing room is exactly the same.

"We’ve got to channel the disappointment of Saturday’s defeat in the right way and go into Wednesday ready to give it everything we have got.”

He continued: “I love derby games. As a player, they are what you want to play in and every fan that is going on Wednesday will want us to give absolutely everything we have got.

“I loving talking to the young players about things like this. I said when I signed here that I have been really impressed with them. They have got big, bright futures and for a few of them Wednesday will be their first taste of a big derby.

“They’ll be needing that help, we’re all together, we’ve got a real good group of lads and we all want to put things right on Wednesday.”

Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Peterborough United was Charlton’s first at home since October 1st and Crofts says that they need to draw a line under it and focus on bouncing back in midweek.

He said: “Both halves of Saturday were almost a carbon copy of each other. In the first 15 minutes of both, I thought we did ok. We were pressing well and looking like we could threaten them but then we let a poor goal in.

“We needed to stick to what we were doing and not panic. When we went a goal down, there was still about 70 minutes to play; plenty of time to get back in it.

“We came away from what we were doing well and we said that in the changing room.

“We were bitterly disappointed because we were building some momentum, but we’ll use this disappointment to have right good go on Wednesday.”