ROVERS can expect a hostile reception when they enter the Lions den in their FA Cup fourth round clash at Millwall.

But one man who is hoping he might turn the home crowd from jeers to cheers is former Millwall ace Lucas Neill who is returning to the New Den for the first time since he left the First Division high fliers to join Rovers in a £750,000 deal in September.

"It won't be nice but it will be interesting to see what it is like be on the other side of the fence as I know how intimidating it can be for teams to go to Millwall," said the 23-year-old right back.

"They are generally a passionate crowd and you are guaranteed noise, especially in an FA Cup game against a bigger team where they will be looking to claim a scalp.

"They will be doing everything they can to give their team an advantage. Noise will be a priority whether it is good or bad noise.

"Hopefully I will get a warm reception because I was a servant of the club for five and a half years and it would be nice if I went back there and got a warm ripple rather than a boo.

The Australian continued: "I felt I was liked by the crowd, I didn't leave on a bad note, it was only the fact that I was in my last year of contract and requests from other clubs came into the club.

"I want to play at the highest level and I have justified that by playing very much every game I have been able to play for Blackburn. I have stepped up a level and have been holding my own."

Neill knows Rovers face a tough task as the Lions are getting better and better under the stewardship of manager Mark McGhee who has taken Millwall from the Second Division to the verge of the Premiership.

"Mark McGhee has done a brilliant job," he said. "When he came in, we started playing excellent football, we got promoted and a lot of that was down to him as well as very talented young side which we had.

"Ray Harford is also a huge influence on the club and Steve Gritt. They all make a good combination. They feed of each other well and there is good chemistry there. All the lads are like me - hungry to do well.

"It is the perfect opportunity for them to see how far they have in a year and a half."

Neill's own progress since he came to Rovers has been fantastic. He won a recall to the Australian team - although he couldn't play because he was injured - he has kept former Manchester United star John Curtis out of the side and Graeme Souness has praised him as capable of playing for any team in the Premiership following the 2-1 loss to Manchester United.

"It is flattering," he admitted. "But I have got a lot to learn and hope I can do it under the gaffer.

"I am pleased with my progress in the short term, but like the gaffer says one season won't make you a better player.

"I am learning so much from him and the players around me people like Tugay and Flitty with vast experience; Hughesy, Dean Saunders, people like that, they are amazing; Henning Berg, brilliant. I can't say a bad word about any of them really.

"I am eager to learn and hungry and at same time I want to be able to show that I can go out to places like Old Trafford and play well, I am not going to go into a shell as I might not get a chance to play again.

"The Theatre of Dreams was perfect. That was a fantastic experience. I won't ever forget it and my mum and dad were over and that made it even better.

"My dad is a United fan and they were really really happy just to be a part of it. The result obviously wasn't what we wanted. If it was a boxing match we would probably deserve more."