Millwall boss Neil Harris issues brutally honest Gillingham FC message as friendly looms | OneFootball

Millwall head coach Neil Harris has given an honest assessment of his feelings ahead of the Lions' friendly against former club Gillingham.

Harris was sacked by Gillingham's owner Brad Galinson in October with the club eighth in League Two.

He had joined Gillingham when the club was embroiled in a relegation battle at the bottom of League One in January 2022, and was ultimately unable to prevent them dropping into the fourth tier.

The 46-year-old found himself back at work with League One side Cambridge United in December, and managed to win 18 points in 13 games to steady the ship at The Abbey.

Harris only spent a few months at Cambridge, after he was approached by former club Millwall in February. The Lions' record goalscorer arrived at The Den with the club in danger of being dragged into the relegation zone, but he changed their fortunes by winning eight of his 15 games in charge at the end of the season.

Millwall are set to play Harris' former club Gillingham in a pre-season friendly this summer, and the former Cardiff City boss has been discussing his return to Priestfield Stadium.

Neil Harris discusses his return to Gillingham

Millwall's friendly in July will be the first time that Harris has faced Gillingham since his departure during the first half of the season. Things have worked out well for him since then, while the same cannot be said about his former club.

When Harris left the Gills, the club were just outside the play-offs in League Two. He was replaced by Stephen Clemence in November, who had an underwhelming stint in charge that resulted in a 12th place finish. Clemence was sacked at the end of the season after failing to improve on Harris' performance.

Harris has been discussing his return to Priestfield Stadium with London News Online, explaining that the fixture was arranged prior to his return to The Den:

“The fixtures that were arranged before we go away we stuck with because we had relationships and agreements with clubs.

“So we go to Gillingham on July 13, which is a great location for players and fans to travel to. It is a game that the two clubs had last year and was a very competitive game.

“In relation to it being my former club, it makes absolutely no difference to me. There are some people I will be pleased to see and some people I won’t be pleased to see. “In relation to the game itself, the most important thing is the fixture is competitive and the location is close for both parties.

It seems as though Harris has mixed opinions about his former colleagues, but his main focus is on ensuring the game is beneficial for his Millwall players.

Harris will have big ambitions for next season

Harris enjoyed a successful period during his first spell in charge of Millwall between 2015 and 2019, reaching the League One play-off final twice and achieving promotion back to the Championship in 2017.

He also reached the latter stages of the FA Cup in 2017, losing 6-0 against Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-final.

The Millwall legend will have ambitions to build on the strong form of last season and push on in the Championship table during the 2024/25 campaign.