Gary Rowett has challenged his players to bounce back after Millwall went down to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Wigan at the weekend.

A Shaun Hutchinson own goal in the 57th minute of the contest proved to be what separated the two sides, with the Millwall centre-half turning Anthony Pilkington's cross into his own net.

The result means Millwall have now lost three of their last six league games.

Speaking to News at Den after the defeat, Gary Rowett is keen for his players to now stand up and be counted.

"I will look for a reaction. We've got two home games coming up, and they are the type of games that we have performed really well in previously," he said.

QUIZ: Can you name every Millwall player's shirt number?

"That's the challenge in this division, you see teams up and down the league that will win a game and then will lose a game, you get that elation and then that disappointment, you have to show that reaction to bounce back."

Millwall now find themselves in 11th place in the Championship table, and have back-to-back home games against Birmingham and Bristol City coming up before the end of the week.

The Lions boss also added that he wants a positive response from his players in those matches, as there is a lot on the line.

"We are at a point now where you can't afford to drop off for two of three games because your season is over. That's the frustration [with Saturday] because I felt it was a game that was there for us to get something out of," he said.

The Verdict

Millwall will be bitterly disappointed about Saturday's result, as Wigan had won just once in ten home games prior to the clash.

It means that the Lions' recent disappointing run of results continues, as they have have won just once in their last six Championship games themselves.

However, there is no time for Gary Rowett's side to mull over the result as they take on Birmingham City on Wednesday.