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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
Sport
Gregor MacGregor

Lee Johnson on putting pressure back on Derby County and why Antoine Semenyo's red card wasn't appealed

So, you live to fight another day?

Yeah, one more day! Listen, we did our job. We weren't great in that first 60 minutes - obviously it's a different place to come and Millwall are a good side.

Last year they got 72 points and it's a notoriously tough place to come to The Den and get a result.

We got done again with the same sort of diagonal for the knockdown as we did on the home game on a couple of occasions, and that was disappointing, but we can't really talk about that now.

It was unbelievable character shown by my team - when that penalty was conceded... that was like Roy of the Rovers stuff to save that penalty and then be as good as we were in the last 25 minutes.

How Bristol City fans can follow Swansea City v Derby County on TV, radio and online

Max has got quite a record at saving penalties hasn't he? [Having saved four in a row while on loan previously]

Yeah, I think so, yeah. And again there's a lot of work that's done on it.

You do your analysis and the boys practise them, just like Pato has done with his free-kick, and all the hard work is exactly for those moments.

It was another fantastic moment for Max's highlight reel in what has been a brilliant season for him.

How many of your substitutions were made because of injury?

Jack Hunt's was. He's got something wrong with his Achilles but I'm not too sure yet.

Eros (Pisano) did nothing wrong but at that point it was just worth throwing as many forward players on and attacking thinking players as I could, and obviously the boys who came on as sub produced and got us the win.

You've done your job and the pressure goes back to Derby now doesn't it?

Yeah, and I think they'll have been watching that game and I've been there, and they'll be thinking 'oh no' - and we respect every club in the division.

Swansea are a fantastic footballing side, and that's a difficult place to go, but Derby are an excellent side as well.

Certain things have gone against us when our performances have been good. And if we can take it to the last day because of our win tonight then obviously it becomes a lottery. All we can do is try our bit and go again.

Is success for you this season making the top six?

No, I don't think so. We've successfully improved this season without doubt.

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There's so much good work being done on and off the pitch. I want to get promoted, make no mistake, and nobody hides that at the football club. But it's a tough league, and you've got to earn that.

And you've only got to look at Millwall last year getting 72 points and just missing out on the play-offs and then only staying safe three games before the end of this season.

That can happen year on year in the Championship... It's a relentlessly tough but fantastic league, and I thought today that the players drew every bit of spirit and guts that they had to produce that last half an hour.

Will you be glued to the Derby game?

I don't know. I was thinking of going under general anaesthetic - so maybe give me a shout when it's over?

I really don't know how to deal with that one. I can't control it.

All I can control is what we do at our football club - and I've got to work hard to keep driving forward this football club as we keep doing every day.

Did you contest Antoine Semenyo's red card in the end from the weekend?

No, we didn't contest it. We were just worried. We looked at it to contest it and we took some advice, but you always worry about the frivolous appeal.

Because if that goes against you then it costs the young lad another game.

Historically, even if it should have been a yellow card, you don't get them, so we decided to protect him for next season.

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