ZAK Sturge said he was “buzzing” after signing a contract extension with Millwall.

The 22-year-old signed a new, long-term deal last weekend, just over a year after making his move from Chelsea permanent following a five-month loan spell. This paper understands the contract does not include a release clause.

“I’m buzzing,” Sturge said. “My time here has been very smooth sailing so far. I think I’ve settled in really well.

“The boys, the gaffer, just everyone’s been so welcoming, and it’s helped me ease in really well. It makes me feel really wanted. I’ve had conversations with Steve Gallen, the gaffer, and they’ve explained to me where my position is, and I’m very happy.”

Sturge is one of Alex Neil’s most trusted lieutenants at the back, starting all eleven league games at left-back. Neil said Sturge’s mentality is why he trusts him so much.

“When I was younger, my dad would always say, ‘Things are not going to go your way sometimes,’” Sturge said. “It’s how you react to that. For me, whether I’ve been taken off at half-time or I haven’t had the best game, I know that there’s always a second chance to right that wrong.”

Sturge’s role in the team is a far cry from where he was 21 months ago, when he joined the Lions on loan on deadline day to provide cover for Joe Bryan.

He played just 34 minutes before Bryan picked up an injury in late April, opening the door for Sturge to start the final three games of the season.

“That move was very last minute,” Sturge said. “I didn’t really know what to expect from it because, at the time, Joe Bryan was in the team and you’re going to maybe play here and there.

“Looking back now, it’s amazing what’s happened so far. Football is a funny game. I was waiting for my chance. I had to be ready. You’re just thrown in at the deep end, and you’ve got to swim.

“Those last three games at the end of the season helped significantly, because then they helped me secure my move here.”

Sturge made his move permanent that summer and played an important role in Millwall’s promotion push, starting 31 league games as the Lions finished third, just one point shy of automatic promotion.

“It was amazing,” Sturge said. “If we maybe had got promoted, it would’ve been a bit better, but I think for a first season, especially coming from the under-21s, you couldn’t write a better season.

“I settled into the team well, playing as many games as I was able to play, which was also amazing. The fans, everything – it was just amazing. It felt surreal.

“Especially the environment in the changing room; I feel like it was amazing. Everyone was buzzing, and everyone was filled with this confidence that we could go to these places and do it, and then we did it.”

The season ended in disappointment, however, as Millwall were beaten 2-0 by Hull City in the second leg of their play-off semi-final at The Den.

“It was probably the biggest game of my career so far,” Sturge said. “It was a tough one. We played well. Then we may have just slipped a bit, I guess, and we fell short. It was disappointing for us. The players all know that we could have maybe done a bit better, and we could have definitely reached the final. It was a tough one to take.”

The Lions are looking to repeat that play-off run this season, but have made a mixed start. After eleven games, they sit twelfth in the table on fifteen points.

“We’ve had an array of results,” Sturge said. “Some good, some not so good, that we could have definitely done better in. I don’t think it’s been a bad season at all for us. We’ve been, we’ve been solid, but I think we can definitely improve.”

Millwall’s most recent outing was a disappointing 2-2 draw with Lincoln City in front of a packed Den.

“It was a tough game,” Sturge said. “They scored very early, and that set the tone for the game. We were then chasing the game.

“I don’t think we obviously played our best football. The whole team can probably say that. The most important factor for us was that we came out, and we didn’t lose the game. We got a draw. We all know that we can play better, and hopefully on Saturday [against Portsmouth] we can right that.”