adminMillwall boss on why ‘catalyst’ Luke Cundle has been playing in a deeper role
ALEX Neil outlined why Luke Cundle has been playing in a deeper role, with the Millwall boss describing him as a “catalyst” for his side’s late turnaround away at south London rivals Charlton Athletic on Saturday, September 13.
The Lions scored a late equaliser to leave the Valley with a 1-1 draw – maintaining their unbeaten record against the Addicks. Millwall last lost to Charlton in 1996.
Cundle started the game as part of a midfield two with Massimo Luongo, with midfielders Casper De Norre and Billy Mitchell currently injured.
The Lions fell behind 1-0 to the Addicks after Sonny Carey’s first-half volley, and continued to trail well into the second half. Neil brought on midfielder Daniel Kelly to replace striker Mihailo Ivanovic in the 66th minute, with Cundle moving into a more attacking role.
Charlton were down to ten men when Kayne Ramsay was issued a second yellow card in the 74th minute, and Millwall soon capitalised on their advantage.
In the 88th minute, Cundle made a late run into the box and was found by Joe Bryan. The 23-year-old’s shot was saved, but the rebound fell to Ra’ees Bangura-Williams, who found the back of the net to restore parity.
Neil thought Cundle was vital to his team rescuing a point.
“I think he’s been excellent this season,” Neil said. “His best position for me is probably one up in that sort of ten pocket.
“At the moment, the difficulty I’ve got is the two lads that can play a little bit deeper are young Dan Kelly. What people don’t know about Dan as well is, he’s played two games in Scotland last week. So he’s played on Friday and played on Tuesday, and he’s had to come here again today. That was one of the key reasons why he didn’t start.
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