Sean Dyche says Millwall in the Premier League ‘will be crackers’ and reveals the one trait that helps them reach the promised land

For nearly four decades, Millwall have been cast out of English football’s top tier.

Relegated from the top flight in 1990, the Bermondsey outfit has moved between League One and the Championship, with a Premier League berth nothing but a distant dream.

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But come full-time on Saturday, the final day of the 2025/26 Championship season, Millwall could call themselves a Premier League club for the first time.

How Millwall can secure automatic promotion to the Premier League

It is a scenario that former Premier League manager Sean Dyche, who was a Millwall player for three seasons, described as ‘crackers’.

The Lions have a chance of securing automatic promotion on the final day as they sit third in the Championship on 80 points, one behind second-placed Ipswich Town.

Breathing down Millwall’s necks and also in the race for second is Middlesbrough, who lie fourth with 79 points.

Although automatic promotion is in the Tractor Boys’ hands, if there’s one thing the Championship has taught fans over the years, it is to expect the unexpected.

Given Millwall has the longest absence from the top flight among the clubs who can mathematically qualify for second, some fans are hopeful of a fresh face in next season’s Premier League.

Sean Dyche’s verdict on Millwall’s automatic promotion hopes

And you can count Dyche among those, although he conceded the Lions will likely have to get promoted the hard way via the play-offs.

“I played there, and I had a brilliant time there. Still got a soft spot for them obviously,” Dyche said on Friday’s edition of the Sports Breakfast.

“I think Ipswich will do it. They’ve got control, it’s in their hands.

“Millwall, fantastic what they’ve done. They keep coming back for more. They get a knock, they come back. They’ve done it all season and he’s [Alex Neil] done a brilliant job there.

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“They got a lot of spirit in there and that could be the thing that gets them over the line.

“The others like Wrexham and their story. Derby with John Eustace, my ex-captain at Watford. I’ve got so many links to people in this.

“But with Millwall, if they can do it, we know how difficult the Premier League is, but imagine Millwall in the Premier League. That will be crackers.

“Millwall have got a group and I was very fortunate as I was an older pro then. We had Tim Cahill coming through and Steven Reid and Lucas Neill.

“We had some top players coming through at that stage and they’ve kind of got that bond again.

“They’ve got the centre half [Jake] Cooper who’s been there a while and who’s moulded himself into the MiIlwall way.”

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Central to Millwall’s rise up the table, where they are on track for their highest finish in English football since 2002, is their vociferous support.

Dyche: Millwall’s fans are a ‘full force’

The Lions are roared on by a passionate set of fans up and down the country, with their vocal backing transforming the club’s home ground, The Den, into one of the most feared venues in English football.

Although Dyche acknowledged Millwall supporters will be quick to voice their displeasure if something’s ‘not going right’, they can help the team become an almighty force when all parties are singing from the same hymn sheet.

“When they get it right there, it is so powerful,” Dyche said.

“The fans there can really put pressure on you. They make it clear when it’s not going right but when it is right, they are full force behind you.

“The tightness between the fan base and the players is definitely evident this season.”