The focus may have been on other clubs in the race for promotion from League One this season, but Millwall keeper David Forde thinks it is about time his team were taken seriously.
After beating Leeds United at Elland Road on Monday the Lions moved onto 68 points and extended their unbeaten run to six games. Automatic promotion is no longer just a pipe dream for Kenny Jackett's side.
If Leeds lose to league leaders Norwich City on Saturday and Millwall beat Stockport County then they will jump into second place with just eight games remaining.
Former Derry City keeper Forde, who has missed just one game in two years for Millwall, admits the pain of losing in the play-off final to Scunthorpe United last season has spurred the team on to finish in the top two for automatic promotion.
The 30-year-old knows that the pressure will be cranked up on Millwall now that they have emerged as a contender to finish as runners-up.
'We haven't been one of the teams that people expected to be up there challenging for promotion and that is fair enough as there are big clubs in League One, but we deserve to be in the position we are in,' Forde told Sportsmail.
'People have been watching the likes of Leeds, Norwich, Charlton and Southampton all season. But we've been working hard and picking up results. So now it is our time to shine.
'We came close to getting promoted last year when we lost in the play-off final.
'We haven't really spoken about it, but for the lads that were in the squad last year that play-off defeat has definitely been motivating us to go one better this time round.'
Forde has been a calming influence for Millwall since he arrived in 2008 from Cardiff City. He played every minute of every game last year, while this season he has racked up 14 clean sheets so far.
Having recently signed a new three-and-a-half-year deal, the Galway native feels settled and has his sights set on playing in the Championship next term.
'I've travelled around a bit with a few clubs in England, Ireland and Wales, but I've always had the view that I'm a late developer and only really feel that I've shown my best on a consistent basis since coming to Millwall,' he said.
'They are a big club and the owners have been doing great work behind the scenes to change the reputation that the club once had. We average around 11,000 for our games, which isn't bad but there is potential to grow.
'If we won promotion to the Championship then more fans would come in and we could bring some better players to the club as well. But we know there is still plenty of work to be done before then and we won't be getting carried away with ourselves.'