Championship news: Boss of Sunderland's play-off rivals issues 'pressure' message to squad

Millwall are level on points with Sunderland, 65, and are behind by just three goals in the league table with two games left to play this season. The Lions travel to Blackpool on Friday night in a game that if they win, they will move them up to 68 points and they will leapfrog Sunderland and Coventry.

The Lions have picked up just five points from a possible 21 since March 18 and injuries have hampered Millwall’s momentum, with four key first-team players ruled out until the end of the season.

But Rowett admits that the pressure has clearly impacted his players in the last seven games based on their performances.

Speaking to NewsAtDen Rowett said: “I never like to make excuses, but I definitely think that injuries have played a part.

“To lose key players at this stage of the season and for others to come in on the back of hardly playing any football, you’re going to lose a little bit of continuity, of course.

“That’s something that you always need, you need a bit of fortune with injuries.

“However, I thought the game against Wigan looked like one where we looked nervous. I understand it. I watched the Arsenal game against Southampton the night before, and you’ve got a team that look like they are going to win the league who are 3-1 down against the bottom team.

“It can happen, pressure can affect people in different ways. You ultimately have to be able to handle it if you want to achieve anything in football, whether that’s winning the Premier League or finishing in the top-six in the Championship. It’s still something you have to manage.

“The run is down to a little bit of everything, but there are certainly no excuses. We’re in a fantastic position and we’re still in it if we go and beat Blackpool, which will be a tough test again because they are down there like Wigan were."

Meanwhile, play-off rivals Blackburn Rovers suffered a 1-0 defeat to local rivals Burnley as Manuel Benson came off the bench to score a stunner past Aynsley Pears earlier this week.

Jon Dahl Tomasson showed his frustrations after the performance, claiming his side produced a great performance but was left disappointed for Burnley to score from their first shot on goal with one bit of magic from Benson.

Tomasson was left critical of the officials for not getting the big calls right on the night, speaking to Rovers TV he said: “I haven’t complained a lot about referees this season, but we’ve had a bit of a nightmare against Coventry and tonight,"

“They need to get those right, those big moments. It is a penalty right at the end and I’ve not yet seen the red card that everyone is telling me out. He should be able to see that, the linesman.

“These are big moments in big games and you need to get them right."