TRANMERE will be under instructions from manager Ronnie Moore to keep their focus on the opposition rather than the crowd when they enter the Lions’ Den tomorrow.

Moore acknowledges Millwall’s south London ground can be one of the most intimidating venues in the lower divisions.

With a record of eight wins and just one defeat in 12 League One home games this season, the Den has become a fortress around which Millwall’s promotion challenge is being mounted.

Moore said: “Millwall can be a daunting place to go. When the supporters get behind the team the noise and atmosphere at the New Den is tremendous.

“But we are not playing the crowd, we are playing the team.”

Moore has taken some stick from Millwall fans down the years, largely because he had a spell as a player with south London rivals Charlton Athletic.

Even so, he boasts a “decent” record at the Den, where Tranmere were 1-0 winners last season and came away with a 2-2 draw in 2007.

The big job, Moore insists, will be overcoming a Millwall team who inflicted the most emphatic defeat of the season on Rovers at Prenton Park in October.

“We know how good and well-organised Millwall are going to be,” he said.

“They are a good side with quality all over. That’s why they are in the top six.

“We have played a lot of the teams at the top of the division and Millwall are the only ones who really did some damage to us.

“I am looking forward to the challenge of facing them again and I’m sure (Millwall manager) manager Kenny Jackett isn’t expecting it to be easy for his team.”

Moore admits Tranmere’s 3-1 reverse to the Lions three months ago was as much due to his own team’s deficiencies on the day as the excellence of the visitors.

He said: “One thing for sure is that we will have to play better than we did at Prenton Park.

“We want to start putting our away form right as we enter the second half of the season.”

Rovers returned this week to the Raby training ground – which was frozen and out of bounds for the previous fortnight – to work on a method to improve results on the road.

They’ve claimed just three away wins in the first half of the campaign, the last of them at Leyton Orient back in October.

Moore admitted: “Things have not been working right away from home and we have to change it and produce something different. We have gone through one or two ideas and systems on the training ground and hopefully we have come up with the right one to take to Millwall.

“Whatever system we play with have to start winning games on the road. If they’re going to get into the play-offs it will be by what we do in improving our away form.”

Tranmere’s travelling squad of 18 will not include long-term casualties Chris Greenacre or Craig Curran.

Experienced striker Greenacre could be out of action until March while he recovers from damaged foot ligaments. But Curran is due to resume full-time training next week after spending more than four months on the sidelines with a back problem.

Meanwhile Jackett says he has no intention of allowing Millwall’s progress in the FA Cup to distract them from the pursuit of promotion.

Millwall face a trip to Premier League new boys Hull City after edging past Crewe Alexandra a third round replay on Tuesday night. Jackett said: “People might not want to hear this but the priority is the league for us this season.”

Striker Neil Harris’s goal at Gresty Road in midweek made him Millwall’s all-time top scorer with 112 strikes – one more than previous leading marksman Teddy Sheringham.

Millwall hope to strengthen their attacking options by completing the signing of striker Izale McLeod on loan from Charlton Athletic in time for the Tranmere game.