KENNY Jackett believes he learnt a lot about his Millwall side following their defeat to Crawley Town in the Capital One Cup last night.

The Lions succumbed to their second defeat to the League One outfit in as many weeks after they lost 2-0 in a recent pre-season friendly.

This one, however, had to go all the way to penalties to decide the outcome after the game finished 2-2.

Despite the defeat, Jackett seemed happy as he was able to assess his side before their opening Championship game against Blackpool.

He said: “We did well to come back twice.

“Overall I thought that a draw was fair. Both sides had chances.

“I could’ve changed the team tonight but I opted for a full-strength side to help them get in to a rhythm and also to assess the team as quickly as possible to see where we need to be better.

“When you play your first game you know the things you are good at, the things you need to work on and, perhaps, where you need to strengthen. “In our pre-season we’ve passed the ball very well but I don’t think our passing was as good tonight, not as good as it can be.

“We have to get on to that and move the ball like I know we can because ultimately that creates your chances.

“The players should be fresh for Saturday so with a couple days rest we can see it as a positive.”

Last night’s game also saw debuts for Scott Malone and Chris Taylor and the Millwall manager was happy with their contributions.

But he was especially pleased with the performance of their most recent acquisition, defender Danny Shittu.

Jackett said: “I’m pleased with what Scott and Chris have given us.

“It is early days for them and they are new to the division so they need to be led by the guys who have been here for a while but so far, so good and I am confident for the future.

“Throughout pre-season I don’t think we’ve looked right at the back.

“We’ve looked vulnerable, especially at set-pieces.

“Danny certainly brings experience and a lot of presence.

“It was a good experience for him tonight because he played an hour and he needs to get match-fit.

“Ideally I’d have a few weeks with him.

“We’ll see how he progresses but hopefully he can get on a run that can produce the form we know he’s capable of.

“He is a big personality and can lead us.

“Sometimes it looks like we need that leadership on the pitch as well.”

Despite the new additions, Jackett said he was still not completely satisfied with the size of the squad and further additions will be considered.

“We haven’t got that many bodies at the moment and we’re playing at a high standard,” he added.

“There are areas that perhaps need strengthening.”

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