Millwall boss Neil Harris has revealed the number of points he expects his side to achieve in the Sky Bet Championship next season.

A Shaun Williams penalty in the first half against Aston Villa was enough for a Lions win as they finished their league campaign in eighth with 72 points.

Results for Derby County and Preston North End denied them a slim opportunity of clinching sixth but the club has far exceeded early expectations of them battling against the drop.

Harris told News Shopper: “I think the aim August 1, when we lead into the season, will be to get to 50 points. 

“There has to be a realism to what we’ve achieved this year, but will Sean Dyche set out next year in the Premier League to be in the top six and play European football for the second year in a row? He won’t, he’ll set out to get to 40 points as quick as he can and see where it takes him. 

“We’ll have to be the same in the Championship. I think I’ve got some talented players, I think I’ve got a great group of lads.”

The 40-year-old, who has been at the helm since the summer of 2015, believes the squad has ‘fallen slightly short’ and will need to improve next over the summer but remains pleased with the ‘tremendous records’ which have been set during the campaign.

He outlined that no one in the team is on the transfer list, and declined to detail where improvements could be made, but also made clear what could be achieved during the coming transfer window.

Harris added: “We’ve improved every transfer window I’ve been here and that’s the challenge for us this summer. 

“Are we going to go out and spend £15 million on a striker, or are we going to spend £6 million on a striker? No, that’s not going to happen at this football club.

“But I’m delighted with the squad. I’m delighted with the makeup of the squad, the character the squad has got typifies a Millwall squad. 

“I’ve never stood in people’s way of wanting to play first-team football, which is fine, but we need improvements to the squad that’s for sure.

“We’ve worked hard over the last three years to get it to where it is but if we want to keep moving forward then we need to improve all the time.”