Millwall midfielder Casper De Norre has identified away form as the cornerstone of the club's bid to reach the Championship play-offs and, this time, go all the way. The Lions began the new campaign with a 2-0 victory at Bristol City on Saturday, and De Norre is in no mood to let that momentum fade.

The numbers that back him up

De Norre's emphasis on road results is not mere rhetoric. Millwall finished the 2025-26 season with 41 points from 23 away fixtures, the best such record in the division. Only champions Coventry City matched their 11 wins on the road. That away haul was a central reason Alex Neil's side found themselves so deep in the promotion picture, ultimately missing out on automatic promotion by a single point to second-placed Ipswich Town.

One point. After 46 games. That margin underlines exactly why the Lions believe this squad is equipped to go further, and why De Norre is so focused on the details that made last season tick.

"It's very important if you want to achieve what we're trying to achieve to go and get into those play-offs again," the 29-year-old told BBC Radio London. "You have to be very good both at home and away, so it's very good that we can start with an away win. We're off to a perfect start. It's always a difficult game away at Bristol. I think the game just played out perfectly for us."

Ambition sharpened by previous hurt

Millwall have reached the second-tier play-offs on four previous occasions and lost at the semi-final stage every single time. That record hangs over The Den, and De Norre addressed it directly when asked what the club's realistic expectations are for this season, with two additional play-off spots available in the expanded format.

"Try to be a bit better than we were last year," he said. "Go into the play-offs and try and finish it in the play-offs rather than going out."

Short on syllables, long on meaning. The Lions have not played top-flight football since 1990. Five semi-final exits from the play-offs. The players know the history, and De Norre's words suggest they intend to write a different ending.

Why one good result proves nothing yet

A 2-0 opening-day win away from home is an encouraging start, but it is precisely that: a start. The Championship is 46 games long, and Millwall's record last season shows the difficulty of sustaining that kind of consistency. They nearly pulled it off all the way to the automatic places, only to be pipped at the final moment.

The expanded play-off format, which now includes seven clubs rather than five, does broaden the path to Wembley. But it also means more competition within that bracket, and the gap between sixth place and the top two can be enormous in terms of form and momentum by the time May arrives. Four good games, or even fourteen, do not guarantee anything in this division. Millwall will know that better than most.

What De Norre's comments do confirm is that the squad's mindset has shifted from simply reaching the play-offs to winning them. After four semi-final exits and a near miss at automatic promotion, the expectation level at The Den has risen accordingly. Whether the squad can carry that belief across 23 more away fixtures will go a long way to deciding whether this season ends differently from those that came before.

Frequently asked

What is Millwall's play-off record in the Championship?
Millwall have reached the Championship play-offs on four previous occasions and have been knocked out at the semi-final stage every time.
How did Millwall do away from home last season?
Millwall had the best away record in the Championship in the 2025-26 season, picking up 41 points from 23 away games and winning 11 of those fixtures.
What are Millwall's ambitions for this season?
Millwall are targeting a return to the play-offs with the aim of going further than previous attempts and finally reaching the Premier League for the first time since 1990.