By Jr
April 16 2005

For the second successive season, Millwall have taken four points off their more illustrious neighbours West Ham United and if chairman-elect Jeff Burnige is as elated as the fans, perhaps he’ll do all he can to keep player/boss Dennis Wise at the club. For the second successive season, Millwall have taken four points off their more illustrious neighbours West Ham United and if chairman-elect Jeff Burnige is as elated as the fans, perhaps he’ll do all he can to keep player/boss Dennis Wise at the club.

Following Millwall’s 1-1 draw at Upton Park, Wise admitted he’s seeking showdown talks with the supremo-to-be.

Wise said: “I need to have a chat with the new chairman at the end of the season, and find out what route he wants to take.

"I want to stay. I have enjoyed myself here, I am ambitious and I want to try to get the club out of this division.

"But you need help, and if you don't get much of that, it makes it very difficult."

Millwall have certainly made it more difficult for the Hammers to make the play-offs now, and it was always going to be an uphill struggle for the hosts when Barry Hayles fired the Lions in front.

Marlon Harewood equalised for West Ham but, other than that, the Hammers rarely threatened the Lions’ goal.

Despite the creditable away point, off the field matters continue to dominate the agenda at Millwall.

Talented young winger Peter Sweeney has gone public with his desire to remain at the club, revealing that he’ll be out of contract at the end of the season.

Speaking on his personal website on www.icons.com, Sweeney said: “I’ve still not been offered a new deal and I could be forced to leave Millwall when my contract expires at the end of the season.

“It’s playing on my mind a lot, because I’m really enjoying my football at Millwall and all I want to do is stay.

“The last thing I want to do is leave the club.

“It’s not as if I’m going to be out of a living because I know there are a few clubs watching me, and I know I can do a job; it’s just I want to stay here.

“I acknowledge my form has dipped a couple of times during the campaign, but I still think I’ve shown enough to earn a new deal.”

Sweeney has certainly shown his ability in recent games, his last-ditch tackle against Crewe the previous week illustrating how he’s improved defensively as the season has gone on.

Sweeney indicated that player morale has been affected adversely by the rumblings going on behind the scenes.

He said: “The new chairman came in and said he wanted to cull the squad and that wasn’t good for morale, while there was talk that Dennis Wise and Ray Wilkins might be given the push, and that caused a lot of unrest.

“All the boys love working with Dennis and Ray, and it was a big blow when we didn’t know if they were going to be with us next season.

“Dennis said he wanted more money to make a push for promotion, but the board wouldn’t sanction any transfers.

“Dennis was also criticised for not giving youth a chance, and as a young player I feel I’m in a good position to talk about that.

“I definitely think younger players should be given a chance instead of the club buying older pros, yet as a youngster, Dennis has been brilliant with me and I really feel I’ve learnt a lot from him.”

Another player who seems to have come of age this season is Ben May.

Though he was an unused substitute against West Ham, the previous week saw him light up the Den with his exuberant approach and well-taken late winner from the penalty spot against Crewe.

Millwall should have wrapped up the points earlier after surging into a three-goal lead thanks to goals from Hayles, Marvin Elliott and Jody Morris.

Yet somehow, Crewe clawed their way back to level it and, had Wise not been upended in the box , would have had a point to show for their pretty football.

For entertainment value, it may have been one of the best games seen at the Den for a while, yet defensively Millwall were not at their best.

It was a welcome win though, nonetheless, as it came on the back of two away defeats that saw Millwall’s glimmering hopes of making the play-offs die a death.

Danny Dichio’s expert finish had put Millwall ahead in the previous game at Reading, but a former transfer target Les Ferdinand came on to transform the game for the Royals, even though it was Dave Kitson and Nicky Forster who scored the hosts’ goals.

Dichio was also on target at the Walkers Stadium, equalising Richard Stearman’s opener for Leicester City.

David Connolly struck from the spot and Mark de Vries added another to cap a miserable start to the month for Millwall.

However, things are looking up again at the Den, with 4 points taken from the last two games and the possibility of conciliation between Wise and Burnige.

Even without the thrill of a late play-off push, there’s never a dull moment at Millwall!