Neil Harris is refusing to speculate just how many points Millwall will need to beat the drop.

The Lions picked up a vital 2-1 victory over Charlton on Good Friday, their first win in 10 games,  a result Harris described afterwards as the first “miracle” required if they are to pull off an unlikely escape act.

Next up at The Den are high-flying Watford, a side Harris believes will be playing top flight football next year.

When asked this morning how many more of those miracle results Millwall must collect before now and the end of the campaign, Harris was non-committal.

“Who knows? I’m not going to say we need these amount of wins or points, we just need to win the next game.

“Watford are an extremely good side and will be the toughest challenge so far for us, but we are improving all the time and it is a challenge we are ready for.

“They are a well organised unit, they’ve got some real attacking force and will grace the Premier League next year I’m sure because they’ve done really well. 

“We’ve watched them, we’ve studied them and will have a game plan for the players.

“Once we’ve covered that we will focus on ourselves, what we do, what we’ve achieved and how we keep that going.

“We are respectful to the opposition but we like to concentrate on ourselves more.”

Millwall had closed the gap to safety to just four points after that Charlton win but now find themselves seven points adrift again following Rotherham’s 1-0 triumph over Brighton on Easter Monday.

Harris’ side were without a game due to Blackburn’s FA Cup replay with Liverpool last night but the interim boss was philosophical over whether that is a good or bad thing.

He explained: “We would rather have played because we came off the back of a top performance against Charlton and a good victory.

“We can’t control what other teams are doing, all we can do is worry about ourselves and we are trying to do better than we have been. I believe we are getting better in each game.

“The work ethic and the spirit from the boys in training is unbelievable. We will just keep attacking games like we are and see where it takes us.

“We will have five games in 14 days so that is where your squad becomes really important at this stage of the season.”

That was underlined when Nicky Bailey made a huge difference when he came off the bench against the Addicks last week, although Harris is not keen on rushing him or anyone else back too soon.

“He certainly comes into the equation,” said the boss.

“Nicky has been in and out for quite some time.

“We’ve got players coming back from injury and it’s really important we manage them properly.

“I could be tempted just to chuck players in and give them a game just because it is the end of the season and then they break down but that is not what we are about.

“That is asking for disasters. We have to be respectful to the levels of fitness that we are demanding to play in the starting XI with the style of play.  

“There is competition for places definitely but players will not be risked just for the sake of it.

“They will be looked after properly and if we feel they are fit enough to play in the starting XI for the tempo of the game we are trying to achieve then they will be considered for selection.”

Harris also had some positive news on the injury front with another two players edging ever closer to full fitness.

“Lee Martin and Paris-Cowan Hall are back in training and they fall into the same category as Nicky Bailey – delighted to have them back in the squad but I can’t just put them in for the sake of it.

“I won’t risk the team’s success by rushing people back. Nicky has already played. If Lee and Paris continue the way they are they will be fit enough for selection hopefully within the next seven to ten days.

“Whether Saturday is too soon we will have to see how they get on in training first.”

Millwall played in front of their biggest home gate of the season against the Addicks and the atmosphere helped inspire the players to victory.

And now Harris says the challenge is to match that display to make sure the backing from the stands matches last week’s levels.

“The Den was rocking during the Charlton game and the fans are enjoying what they are seeing,” the manager said.

“That is up to us as a group to keep giving them that.

“It is a big demand to go again and again but that is what we are asking for.

“I think the most pleasing thing was the players saw their style of play, their attitude, their commitment to training every day and what we are trying to achieve rewarded.

“It started against Brighton, continued against Brentford and we definitely saw it against Charlton that as long as they keep believing in what they are doing they will definitely get results at the end of it.

“The Den is going to be a really difficult place for teams to come and play and that is what we are after.”

Follow @NewsShopperSprt for live updates from Millwall v Watford