*EXCLUSIVE* Colin Reid speaks about the season ahead with his Millwall Lionesses side

Following the Millwall Lionesses losing their FA Women’s Championship licensee to their former side London City Lionesses, the London based women’s side have been demoted down to the Eastern Region Women’s Football League Division One.

Leading them in this new era for the 2019-2020 campaign is Colin Reid a man who was and still is the technical director for Millwall’s Regional Talent Club, he spoke to our reporter Brandon Prangell about the season ahead and what he may face this campaign.

Everyone around the 47-year-old club’s history were shocked about demotion to the sixth tier however the Lionesses boss believes in his plan:

“I think it’s anything you have a five-year plan, and I like to think with a business you have a five-year plan but initially, the most important time is the here and now.

I cannot change the past that is gone all I can do now is if we are going to affect where we go in the future you do that now, so the here and now and the here and now bit is the most important thing we get on with doing what we need to do now and as time goes on you sort of re-evaluate, yes I want to see Millwall get promoted this year and it would be nice to get promotion the following year I am not going to get ahead of the game, I am just saying that is our expectations this year and we will re-evaluate as we go along.”

Colin believes his job will put Millwall’s regional talent club and the team in general in a better position after being given the role of first-team manager:

“I have had different roles in football where I have been the interim manager, I have been the assistant manager or the first-team coach, so for me it’s nice to oversee everything but what’s really a great opportunity is where I have a role in the RTC, as I can if you like control and influence the coaches and how we play I think we can now implement and take that onto the next stage.

“It’s nice to be able to have that control of there is a smooth passageway and smooth pathway and we will play the same way so you know I think it is good to get that continuity and the coaches that I have brought in with me understand how I work they are very important in what we are going to do in the RTC, both of the coaches will be introduced to the RTC and will be in the first team.

“Chris is an experience goal keeping coach and Jay is a less experience coach but one that I have been mentoring and they are ideal to be around so I need the staff around me who now how I work and really are supportive and in these two guys I have got exactly that.”

The uncertainty is Millwall’s biggest unknown factor this season and the manager that they are prepared for that:

“The biggest challenge will be we don’t know who we are playing against, in the higher levels you can have teams looked at, so this season we don’t know what we are up against so I am saying to them look we have prepared for every sort of eventuality we will be prepared we will be very organised in terms of in possession and out of possession transitions we will be good with our restarts, our throws, goal kicks and corners and I am saying we don’t want any excuses.”

With the name Millwall being so well known in the women’s game there is a target on the team’s head, and Colin Reid was aware that this makes it harder:

“Look everybody knows Millwall so they will want to beat us it will be their biggest game undoubtedly and we are not going to disrespect other sides, we are going out there but we don’t expect to win I am saying to the girls the mentality is that we will work so when people come and watch us play they will see us put a shift in and we will play a brand of football that encourages people to come and watch.

“I think it is going to be double hard in terms of everyone will want to beat us but that’s the challenge and I embrace that challenge and I am saying to the girls that we have to rise above that and every team we play against will be a cup final for the other team so we need to take that on board and be well prepared for it.”

The Lionesses boss has a certain way of playing and he believes that his players will be taking that on board:

“I have a methodology of working which has sort of evolved over the years that I have been in football and they have been successful, so whether that has been producing players in terms of player development, whether it’s been winning things and getting teams out of relegation places, I have been fortunate enough to have a methodology that works, you know I am not every bodies cup of tea.”

“In terms of that we will work hard and be very well organised work a lot on our shape and in terms of play as this is very important but again as individuals they need individual stuff to go away and work on, we are trying to get the girls to buy into the concept we cannot make them better players in the times we train, even though we are fortunate to train twice a week and at the games.

“We want them to go away and be responsible for what they eat what they drink maybe get up the gym a few times so the ownership is with them, we are trying to implement a culture where we are accountable for what we do at the club and away from the club, the coaches know that and it’s just getting people to believe into our methods and everybody singing from the same hymn sheet.”