Millwall caretaker boss makes ‘surprised’ admission ahead of Preston North End

Millwall caretaker boss Adam Barrett has been a busy man ahead of this weekend’s trip up to Preston North End.

Barrett takes the reigns of the Lions for their Championship away clash with the Lilywhites this Saturday, following the departure of Gary Rowett on Wednesday night. The second-longest serving manager in the division saw his tenure at The Den come to an end in midweek, with him admitting that the time was right for himself and the club to part ways.

Several names have been linked to the latest hot seat in the second tier, including recently axed Birmingham City boss John Eustace, and ex-Millwall man Kevin Muscat, who was a key contender for the Rangers job. Barrett, who is taking on his second spell as caretaker manager, could be considered a contender too - but that’s far from on his mind right now.

“I’ve been asked to take the team last night but my full focus is on Preston,” he said to Southark News. It’s such a quick turnaround, I haven’t had time to think really the last 24 hours so my main focus is getting the lads ready, getting them prepared, getting the messages in and all I’m focused on at the moment is Preston at the weekend.

“The gaffer left and I was surprised he decided to leave. It’s all come very quickly and I haven’t though about anything else apart from making the team’s right and we’re prepared as possible. Like I said, I’ve had a hell of a lot to try and sort out behind the scenes at the moment to make sure people are in place. Paul Robinson is with me, Kevin Nugent has stepped up from the under-21s.”

Wednesday’s developments left Barrett and co with little time to get the team prepared for this weekend’s early kick-off. Millwall have been dealing with some injury problems too - defender Ryan Leonard having added to the club’s injury list.

Barrett said: “There’s been a hell of a lot to organise and Preston is our focus. I’m my own man, I’ve got my own ideas. But obviously it’s very, very quick with the games upon us and the injuries we have as well. So we’re probably limited in terms of options so there’s not a lot of time to change too much and like I said we’ve been pretty strong ourselves anyway.

“So it’s a case of getting in, getting the boys prepared and making sure this sudden shock to everyone is as smooth as possible. The lads trained really well which I was delighted with and the attitude and application has been superb so it’s now just about making sure we’re preparing and getting ourselves right for a tough game.”