WHILE the rest of Millwall’s first-team squad have started their summer holidays, Alex Mitchell still has three games left to play.
The centre-back is coming to the end of his loan spell at St Johnstone, who will face Kilmarnock, Ross County and Livingston before the end of the month as they look to secure their place in the Scottish Premiership.
Mitchell’s time in Perth has had its challenges, but overall he sees the positive side of his time away from the Lions.
“I’ve really enjoyed it,” Mitchell told NewsAtDen. “It’s definitely been a challenge, like the year before [at Leyton Orient]. I think I finally understand the ups and downs of being a loan player, the advantages and disadvantages.
“The standard is really good in the Scottish Prem. I go into every game thinking it’s going to be really, really tough, whereas in League Two you probably get some games where you know you’re going to get a result.
“Ross County, who are bottom of the league, beat Dundee last weekend. They absolutely smacked them. It’s a really good league and I feel like I’ve improved a lot, both technically and mentally.”
Of course, improvement is key for Mitchell, especially if he is going to break into Millwall’s Championship squad next season. The 21-year-old has played for the Lions in the EFL Cup, but he is yet to feature for them in a league game.
That being said, he has played in almost 70 matches across three loan spells and sees a clear improvement in his performances, especially since joining St Johnstone.
“I think I’m relaxing a bit more,” Mitchell said. “That comes as a centre-half. In the last couple of years, I’ve maybe panicked on the ball a little bit. But as you play more games at a higher standard, you realise that you’ve got to stay composed and relaxed.
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“I’m not saying that I’ve cracked it at all, I’ve still got a long way to get to the level I want to get to, but I can definitely see improvements.
“I view the game differently as well. Obviously the Scottish Prem is a lot more tactical than League Two, you’ve got such a difference in the quality of opponents and everyone plays differently.
“The day before a game, you’ve got to tactically know what you’ve got to do. You set up a shape, you set up a system, that’s what I’ve been getting used to. At Millwall, they do that, so that’s what I have to get used to.
“Off the pitch, I was living in a hotel for three or four months and I’ve been living on my own for the rest of the season. The club has been good as gold, but I’ve obviously had to get used to that.
“I’ve come out growing into a bit more of a man.”
Mitchell’s impressive performances have seen him win the Saints’ Young Player of the Year award, showing just how important he has been for the club since joining in July 2022. However, he does not see that as his biggest accomplishment, instead highlighting what the players have done collectively.
“To be honest, the Celtic goal was a nice moment,” Mitchell said. “It was great to get my first goal, but the best moment was beating Rangers, I think.
“That was such a good performance from the team. I thought I played well myself, but it was the perfect performance from us as a team after all our hard work.
“To get the young player of the year award, that’s really good, but I prefer the team performances like the Rangers game. That, for me, was the best moment.
“Even when we went on a bit of a winning streak – or not losing – that was really good.”
The loan spell has not been a total success for Mitchell, however, as his last league start came in a 1-1 draw away at Kilmarnock back in mid-March. He has played just 37 minutes since then – all of which have been off the bench.
The defender is taking it on the chin, knowing that his place in the starting line-up was far from secure despite his impressive performances earlier in the campaign.
“There’s such a high standard in the team, especially in my position,” Mitchell said. “There’s two places and you’ve got Liam Gordon, who’s the captain and has been brilliant this season. You’ve got Ryan McGowan, who’s a joke. You’ve also got Andy Considine on the other side, who’s played more than 600 games and he’s just like a Rolls Royce.
“There’s such a high standard but you also understand the disadvantages of being a loan player. You understand when you’re not going to play because you’re not going to be there next season. I had that last year at Orient. That happens.
“There’s stuff you can control and stuff you can’t control. I see it as being professional and I’ve learned that, when things aren’t going the way you want them to go, you’ve got to stay professional.”
Another struggle came back in April, when Callum Davidson was sacked as first-team manager of St Johnstone. Davidson worked as assistant manager to Gary Rowett at Stoke City and Millwall before departing for Scotland in June 2020, working with the Lions to bring in young players on loan in Danny McNamara and Hayden Muller.
His departure was difficult for Mitchell, who admitted that he and his team-mates needed to do more to help him keep his job.
“I found it tough, to be honest,” Mitchell said. “I thought the gaffer was brilliant for me and that I was really learning from him. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity he gave me.
“I think he’s a really good gaffer and that us as players weren’t performing well enough for him. We looked at ourselves as a team because it’s not a great feeling when a manager gets sacked.
“It was weird, but that’s football. Macca [Steven MacLean] was assistant manager, he’s now the first-team manager. He’s been brilliant with me.
“He’s been telling me that I’ve not been playing but I understand the reasons.”
After missing out on a place in the play-offs, this is an important summer for Millwall, but especially for Mitchell.
Having played for Bromley and Leyton Orient before joining St Johnstone, he has perhaps come to the end of his experience out on loan. His task is to make an impact in pre-season in order to remain at the Millwall next season, but he knows that he may have to move on if things do not go to plan.
“I’ve only got one more year on my contract, so this is the make-or-break year for me now,” Mitchell said. “I’ve done all the things that the gaffer has wanted me to and I’ve done it well. I want to crack the first team and play in the first team. I’ve seen how Danny and Billy [Mitchell] have done it, even Romain [Esse]. They got in the team and managed to stay there.
“I’m aware that, if I don’t have a good pre-season and don’t match the standards, then I’m out. I’m aware of that because it’s a ruthless environment, football, and clubs can just bring in someone better.
“I’ve got to be on my A-game in pre-season, but I know that. The last two or three seasons have all built up to this pre-season, so hopefully I can show what I’ve done.
“That’s football, it’s a performance-driven business. I’m completely aware of the situation and I think it’s quite an obvious one, to be fair.”
Image: Millwall FC
