HE braved abuse at Ibrox, led Celtic into ‘Hell’ at Galatasaray, so a Friday night jaunt to The Den should be a walk in the park for Neil Lennon.

Even though tonight’s visit to Millwall will be a first for the Wanderers boss, he had a little chuckle to himself when quizzed if the notoriously intimidating home of the Lions would be anything different to what he had faced before.

Lennon, let it not be forgotten, ran a gauntlet of hate regularly on the touchline north of the border, and played and managed in some of the continent’s biggest stadia in the Uefa Cup and Champions League.

Suffice it to say, he has seen it all in the manager’s dugout – from bad to worse – but he admits some of the younger players in his squad may need a helping hand.

“I’ve played at a few grounds like that,” he smiled. “In fact, you could pick maybe four of five grounds in Scotland.

“I played at Galatasaray in Istanbul, now that place is truly intimidating.

“Sometimes I think the reputation of Millwall can get a little bit overblown. I don’t think any club in the country has worked harder to improve their reputation.

“It will be tough, though. I think with experience you learn that a crowd can’t affect a game but it can affect you personally.

“I always enjoyed it, took it as a back-handed compliment, but it can be tough for the younger ones. I do think there’s enough experience in the camp to talk the youngsters through it.”

Thankfully, Lennon has just recruited a man with as much, if not more experience of the big stage in Eidur Gudjohnsen.

The Icelander could be in line for a start at Millwall with striking options thin on the ground, and the Whites boss thinks his knowledge of hostile away grounds could be perfect for this occasion.

“Eidur is absolutely flourishing here,” he said. “Watching him again this week, he’s been excellent.

“He’s enjoying the experience and I think he’s enjoying being back in training every day among the lads.

“We can see him getting better and his contribution was very good again last week.

“When you’ve got someone with that experience, of that ilk, then it’s precious for a young player.”

Lennon may be making a Den debut but he knows exactly what to expect from Ian Holloway’s Lions, who go into the game level on points with Wanderers.

“It’s one of the grounds I never got the chance to play at, whether it was the old one or the new one,” he said.

“But I kind of know what I’m going into. Just like last week with Mick McCarthy, Millwall have got a good manager who knows the course and distance.

“I know Scott McDonald very well and he’s a very good player, someone we’ll have to keep a good eye on.

“And I know they got a good result at Brighton the other week, so they should be buoyant after that.

“There isn’t much between the teams – any of the teams really. We’ve played Ipswich who could have gone top last weekend and Brentford, teams competing at the top, and ones who are down the other end. In both cases we’ve competed well.

“I’m not concerned we’ll lack in effort but there is a slight concern in my mind about our attacking options.”