Leeds United loanee Charlie Cresswell is keeping Millwall captain Shaun Hutchinson out of the starting XI through hard work and the quality of his performances, according to Lions boss Gary Rowett. 

The south Londoners climbed to fifth in the Championship courtesy of a 2-1 victory over Swansea City at The Den last night - with Cresswell central to their victory.

The 20-year-old was outstanding defensively and opened the scoring three minutes into the second half. It was a massive moment for Millwall, who had struggled against possession-hungry Swansea before halftime but broke the game open thanks to the defender's strike after a long throw.

Cresswell was linked with a move away from The Den in January but keeping hold of him has proven vital as he stepped up while Hutchinson was missing with injury in January and February.

The Millwall skipper has now returned to full fitness but is being kept out of the side by the Leeds loanee.

Cresswell repaid the faith Rowett has put in him again last night and, speaking after the game, the Lions boss reflected on the decision to stick with him.

"He's been excellent," he told FLW. "To keep Hutchy out of the team when he's back fit - he's done it because he's worked so hard.

"I spoke to Hutchy the other day and I think he'll be a huge, huge, hugely important player for us as captain of the club but sometimes you've got to be fair to players.

"It's not just about winning games, it's about being fair to people that if they're playing well they deserve to stay in the team and that's what keeping the shirt is all about. Cressy has done that."

Last night's goal has taken Cresswell's tally for the season to five - making him Millwall's third-highest scorer this season behind Tom Bradshaw and Zian Flemming, who both have 13.

"He's got a knack for finding the right moment, hasn't he?" Rowett added. "We've seen a lot of our defenders - Hutchy did it in his first season and finished with about six, [Murray Wallace] last year had about four or five, [Jake Cooper] obviously has been pretty consistent all the way through, and Scott [Malone] had six.

"Cressy, he's on five, again it's another lovely little knack to have. You need those goals to break the deadlock of a game like that.

"Sometimes you can be playing badly, score a goal out of nothing and it changes the whole path of the game."

Millwall will look to make it three wins on the bounce when they host Huddersfield Town on Saturday.