Chris Davies makes honest admission after Millwall defeat and addresses Jhon Solis red card

Birmingham City were beaten 3-0 by promotion rivals Millwall at The Den on Wednesday night

Birmingham City’s 3-0 defeat to Millwall is a reminder of the brutal nights the Championship can provide according to manager Chris Davies.

Davies admitted his team were ‘second best’ in their mauling at The Den on a night where almost everything went wrong.

A belter from Femi Azeez was followed by further goals from Tristan Crama and Jake Cooper that Davies wasn’t best pleased with and, to add to Blues’ pain, Jhon Solis was sent off in the second half.

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“We didn't do enough to get something from that match, clearly,” reflected Davies. “There wasn’t much in the game as a football game, the direct style of their play – long balls, throw-ins and free-kicks – we were second best.

“In a game like that, if you’re second best too often you’re never going to get something.

"The first goal was potentially the best goal I’ve seen this season in the Championship, certainly in a game I’ve been at. The second goal was sloppy on our part and then you’ve got a mountain to climb.

“There were some OK moments progressing the ball, that side of it wasn’t the difficult part, it was the bouncing balls. We were second best too often.

“At half-time, you say if we keep this at 2-0, even until the very end of the match and we get a goal, it opens it right up and three minutes into the second half we concede a set piece.

"It was one of those nights where it felt like everything that could go wrong went wrong.

“Then we had the red card. The one thing we didn’t do was buckle. We stayed resolute and kept it at 3-0.

“It was a timely reminder to the players – if we needed it – of what this league is and how challenging it is, and how you have to earn every single point.”

Solis was sent off for a second bookable offence after a clumsy challenge on Casper De Norre in midfield.

The second red card of the Colombian’s short professional career will rule him out of Monday’s match against Middlesbrough.

Davies said: “He’s been really good and played more than any of us expected. He’s done well, he’s young, new to the league and everything that comes with it. You can see the reception he gets from our fans, that tells you a lot.

“If you’re on a yellow card, you need to be really careful. He will learn. He’s a young player. He will learn and that’s what he’s here to do. He’ll learn a lot from tonight, I’ve no doubt about that.”

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