Clarke gave the Blues the lead in the first half, before the Lions grabbed a second half leveller through Josh Coburn.
Boss Kieran McKenna said after the game he was disappointed not to have won the clash, a sentiment echoed by Sunderland loanee Neil.
“Yeah, quite disappointing in the end,” he conceded. “I think we had probably enough chances to win the game, probably not as clinical as we wanted to be in the final third.
“But I think you’ve got to give them a bit of credit as well because I thought for the first probably 60 minutes we were by far the best better team.
“That’s why they’re up there in the league, they stick together, they’ve clearly got a good team spirit and they found a way back in the game – but yeah, the overall reflection is disappointing and probably two points dropped in the end.”
Dan Neil on the ball (Image: Ross Halls)
He continued: “I thought first half we were we almost blew them away and probably disappointed that we we were only 1-0 up going into the break.
“I thought the fans were brilliant as well. That’s the best atmosphere I’ve heard since I’ve come here and they really helped us keep driving and keep going to try and get the winner – and you know we’re going to need them for the rest of the season.”
Asked if Town’s 12th man could be a difference maker in the remaining home games, Neil agreed.
The atmosphere was cracking at Portman Road – and Neil praised Town’s vocal fans (Image: PA)
“Oh massive I think,” he stressed. “I’m pretty sure the record here at Portman Road over the last few years and in the Championship is an amazing record and you know they play a massive part in that.
“When we’ve got teams on the back foot and they’re almost rolling the ball into the goal. Eight games to go, we’re going to need everybody, players, staff, fans you know to try and get over the line.”
Neil also praised former Sunderland team-mate Clarke, who enjoyed a lot of success running at the Lions’ defence, aside from his strike.
“Yeah again I think that was probably the best Jack Clarke performance I’ve seen since I’ve got back you know playing with him,” he enthused.
“I thought he was direct, I thought the right back was almost a bit scared when he was getting it because you know when Clarkey’s on it he’s by far the best winger in this league bar none and I think you’re seeing that today.
“We need to keep feeding him the ball, keep giving him it in dangerous areas from now to the end of the season and he can be the difference maker for us.”
Neil said it was the best performance he’s seen from Jack Clarke since he arrived in Suffolk (Image: Steve Waller)
Neil almost got a goal himself, going close to converting a Kasey McAteer pull-back early in the second half and whipping a shot just wide in the first.
And, while he obviously wants to open his Town account, he also had extra motivation for wanting to net – Millwall stopper Anthony Patterson is one of his best friends!
“I was desperate to score past me old mate,” Neil laughed, with Patterson also being on loan away from Sunderland.
“I was desperate to get one past him! I was speaking to him after the game and he said he was scrambling on the first time but I just didn’t quite get enough whip on it.
“I think it’s a different role from when I played at Sunderland, it’s probably my more natural role and just getting used to getting up into the box and you know trying to get on the end of crosses.
“I was I was so close to the one Kasey pulled back in the second half – I almost stopped my run a little bit which I’m annoyed about but I’m getting back to what I was naturally doing when I was a little bit younger and I’m sure the first one will come soon.”
Indeed, Neil concluded that the Blues just need to be more clinical as the games start running out.
“Going back to me mate in goal for Millwall he’s pulled off a ridiculous save from from Ivan (Azon).
“We’re creating the chances, we’re dominant with teams we just need to find a way of adding that clinical edge in the final third and almost putting teams away and not giving them a chance to get back in the games.”
He added: “I think the first half has probably been a bit flat and probably a little bit tense, with the magnitude of every game now until the end of the season.
“We spoke about that in the changing room before the game, almost like ‘stuff the tension like we just need to go out start well.’
“We knew that it was going to be a great atmosphere today with such a big game and we started on the front foot, we created chances from the off – and we need to take that from today and use it in each game from now until the end of the season.”