ISSUE
10
ANDREW MILLS
Recruitment process gives Millwall a better chance
CONTENTS NEWS
4 16 20 26
PREVIEW
8 18 22 30
MILLS: RECRUITMENT PROCESS GIVES MILLWALL A BETTER CHANCE
SHEFFIELD UNITED
NEW
NEWS
THOMPSON READY FOR MILLWALL RESPONSIBILITY IF CALLED UPON
HARRIS HOPES WILLIAMS NOT ANOTHER MILLWALL CASUALTY
MATCH REPORT
INTERVIEW
1 BLACKPOOL 1 MILLWALL
INTERVIEW
STEVE MORISON: “I THINK I”M A NICE GUY”
MATCH REPORT
LEE GREGORY FINALLY FIT & CONFIDENT AFTER DIFFICULT SPELL
2 MILLWALL 0 SWINDON 3
MILLS: RECRUITMENT PROCESS GIVES MILLWALL A BETTER CHANCE By John Kelly
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NDREW Mills has outlined some of the key principles that underpin Millwall’s recruitment policy and believes they are helping to provide players to manager Neil Harris that fit better with the club’s philosophy. Mills was appointed head of recruitment last March as part of a revamp of Millwall’s scouting structure. The former Brentford chief executive has since been involved in bringing the likes of George Saville, Shane Ferguson and U21 player Christian Mbulu to the club. Mills also explained the background to the signings of Steve Morison and Tony Craig, both former teammates of Harris. He said: “I understand if supporters look at Steve Morison and Tony Craig and a couple of others and think: ‘Well, how hard was it to get them back?’ “But it wasn’t just a case of: Have we got their phone numbers in the book? It was a case of: Do they do the job that Neil wanted and what he identified he wanted from a couple of senior players within a very
young squad?
the supporters, coming to watch games and thinking, ‘What the hell is that lad doing in a Millwall shirt?’
“The answer was from Neil was, ‘Yes they do’. They then jumped to the top of the queue because they know what’s required in terms of a Millwall performance and a Millwall shirt.
“Don’t get me wrong, we won’t get everything right, but there is a process to go through to give you a better chance.
“The process we now go through in terms of how we get to the availability of the players and how we put that to the manager has changed.
“Neil had a firm opinion in the summer about a couple of people he wanted to bring in and so we did some background work with that and helped put it together.
“The work that we put in certainly weeds out, hopefully, the issues or problems (caused by) players coming who aren’t fit, possibly don’t fit in with our way of playing.
“But apart from that (the recruitment department has) been involved in everybody who comes in or goes out whether it’s young Christian Mbulu in the U21s, who I think is a great prospect for the future, or Shane or George.
“There are a couple of things recently that have come up with football clubs where they’ve recruited players who, albeit have probably been towards the top of their particular position, but who don’t play in the style the club plays in and who have been deemed a failure.
“They are players who don’t just do a specific job on one day. They are players with whom there is future potential to having around the squad, they can improve the group we’ve got.” Speaking to Lions Live on Thursday evening, Mills described the delicacy and often the difficulty associated with recruiting players on loan.
“Everything we are doing is trying to focus on making sure we limit the (possibility of making) problems from your perspective, 5
He explained: “I was looking at how we arrived at George Saville. The list we had in the recruitment department, that we felt was credible, in the morning it was 16 players.
“The other issue for us is that the financial levels in the Premier League and the Championship means there are players that are way, way, way beyond our bracket.
“By the time that got to Neil, which was after training, we’d whittled that down to four or five players which an hour after making calls about those players there was one player he wanted, which was the one he got.
“Bringing those type of lads in tends to destabilise the group and you tend to throw a different dynamic in. That’s when you’re talking about loans coming in and actually damaging the group instead of benefitting it.
“As long as they buy into the football club, as long as they feel like a genuine member of the squad, as long as they feel like a Millwall player then I think it’s an acceptable way of padding out the squad in areas where we need to or to deal with problems that come up from time to time.
“That’s something we said to the chairman we wouldn’t do and I think we haven’t so far.” Meanwhile Mills paid tribute to the work being done by academy boss Scott Fitzgerald, with a number of his young players tipped to make an impact in the first team.
“We got to a stage last where, I strongly believe, people wouldn’t loan us their players because the squad was aging and it probably wasn’t seen as progressive.
“We’ve got probably half a dozen players currently in the academy that Scott thinks will be in the first team,” Mills said. “I think that’s an incredible success.
“The average age of the squad this year is floating at around 24 whereas it was 30 last year.
“I think that’s probably three or four years work in the academy to get us to that stage. We’ve got to continue that and we’ve got a manager who supports that and wants that.”
“I think that players are valued at so much by some of the Premier League sides that rather than send them out and risk damage they’ll hold them back.
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PREVIEW:
SHEFFIELD UNITED By John Kelly
C urday.
ARLOS Edwards will miss just his second game for Millwall since he returned from a long-term injury as he is suspended for the Lions’ clash with Sheffield United this Sat-
Jay McEveley, Craig Alcock, John Brayford, James Wallace and Florent Cuvelier. Bob Harris and Ryan Flynn are closer to returns for the Blades, who moved up to fifth in League One, six points ahead of Millwall, after their 3-0 win over Fleetwood last weekend.
Shaun Williams is also a doubt after he went off in the 50th minute of the 1-1 draw at Bloomfield Road suffering from back spasms.
Millwall last met Saturday’s opponents in February 2011 in the Championship. Daniel Bogdanovic put United ahead before Kevin Lisbie’s last-minute equaliser left the Lions ninth in the table, six points off the top six.
That leaves Neil Harris worryingly short of midfield experience. The four that finished the contest at Blackpool had an average age of 21.5.
Form guide (Last five league):
Jamaica international Shaun Cummings should come in at right-back, while Ben Thompson could partner George Saville in midfield if Williams, who will be given every chance to proves his fitness, misses out.
Sheffield United: DLWDW Millwall: WDLWD Sky Bet match odds: Sheffield United 19/20 Draw 5/2 Millwall 14/5
Fred Onyedinma, who came on for Lee Gregory against the Seasiders, is also in contention to start for the first time in four games. That would likely mean Steve Morison and Aiden O’Brien resuming their partnership up front.
Probable Millwall team: Archer; Cummings, Craig, Beevers, J Martin; Onyedinma, Thompson, Saville, Ferguson; Morison, O’Brien.
Sheffield United have injury concerns of their own and will be without David Edgar,
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STAT'S THAT... BY JOHN KELLY
48 2011
The last meeting was in the Championship in February 2011 when Kevin Lisbie’s 90th-minute strike cancelled out Daniel Bogdanovic’s opener.
1-0
The most common scoreline between the sides is 1-0, which has occurred on 10 occasions (21%).
40% 45%
Aiden O’Brien has assisted or scored eight (40%) of Millwall’s 20 league goals this season.
36 735
426
Millwall and Sheffield United have met 48 times previously and the Blades are edging the historical advantage with 21 wins to the Lions’ 19. There have been eight draws.
Millwall attempted 426 passes against Blackpool and were successful with 316 (74%) of them. By way of comparison, Gillingham, two points clear at the top of the table attempted the fewest passes (356) in their 2-1 win over Scunthorpe.
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Sheffield United were within 90 minutes of the Premier League just six years ago – before they lost 1-0 to Burnley in the Championship play-off final.
10TH
Blades boss Nigel Adkins guided Southampton to the Premier League in 2012, and along the way they recorded a club record 10th successive victory - against Millwall.
32K
Bramall Lane’s capacity of 32,702 is higher than any other ground in League One.
Shaun Williams has participated in nine (45%) scoring attacks this season, the joint most with O’Brien. The Irish striker has also attempted more shots (36) than any other Millwall player. Saturday’s opponents Sheffield United attempted more passes (735) than any other team in the last round of fixtures and were successful with 628 (85%) of them.
PLAYER AND TEAM STATISTICS PROVIDED BY INSTAT.
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Mark Beevers has made 25 more interceptions (86) than any of his teamates this season ŠMillwallFC
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MILLWALL WILL BE A DIFFICULT TEST SAYS BLADES BOSS ADKINS By John Kelly
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Ed Upson are already out, and Shaun Williams could also miss the game after he had to be substituted when he suffered back spasms in the 1-1 draw at Blackpool.
HEFFIELD United boss Nigel Adkins is preparing his players for a “tough” test against Millwall at Bramall Lane on Saturday. The Blades climbed up to fifth place in the Sky Bet League One table after an impressive 3-0 win over Fleetwood last weekend and have lost just one of their last eight games.
However, Adkins revealed he has done his homework on the Lions. He told the Sheffield Telegraph: “Millwall, we’ve watched them on the videos, and it looks like being a really tough game. So far, they’ve kept two really solid banks of four, they don’t give many opportunities away and they are very good on set-plays defensively.
United were the pre-season title favourites and Adkins, who gained promotion from League One with Scunthorpe and Southampton, has set them back on course after a difficult spell in September that saw them fail to win in four games.
“We’re scoring goals, which is important, but we need to be really on it every weekend. We need the fans to be supportive of us because, it appears, these could be difficult opponents to break down.”
Millwall are unbeaten in three games and have lost only two of their last 10, but travel to Sheffield with a number of injury worries. Midfielders Jimmy Abdou and
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HARRIS PAYS TRIBUTE TO MILLWALL FANS AFTER LONG BLACKPOOL TRIP By John Kelly
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ILLWALL boss Neil Harris hailed the club’s fans after another long haul on a Tuesday night this season.
and controlled it and if we’d scored the second we would’ve won. “I thought we defended really well after conceding the penalty. We threw our bodies on the line and people stayed strong.
Around 200 supporters made the 250mile journey to see their side make it three games unbeaten as Jack Redshaw’s late penalty for Blackpool cancelled out Mark Beevers’ first-half opener.
“We had a really young midfield that dug in and their positional play was really good. The back four was outstanding for the last 10 or 15 minutes.
With no London derbies in League One this season, Lions fans who want to attend every away game will have to travel almost 8,000 miles.
“We had to decide: Do you go with 10 men to try and win the game or do you take what you’ve got? We’re comfortable defending with our shape and our two banks of four.
Millwall have yet to lose a Tuesday night away game this season and the squad travelled to Blackpool the day before to recover from any lethargy after a long coach journey.
“Even then we could have won the game. I fancied us to score again, to be honest.
It doesn’t get any easier for Millwall fans in November, with 300- and 500-mile round trips to Burton and Fleetwood, respectively.
“Ben Thompson comes on and the first thing he did was go through and have a shot blocked. I’ve seen him score quite a lot of goals from shots like that in the U21s. But it wasn’t to be, a combination of slight positional play and a lucky mis-hit shot cost us.”
There is also a 500-mile round trip to negotiate for fans who wish to travel to the Football League Trophy area quarter-final against Plymouth.
Meanwhile Harris believes the attention paid to set-pieces on the training ground is being rewarded after Beevers scored his fourth goal of the season on Tuesday night.
Harris said the lengths fans go to to support the side have not gone unnoticed and that those at Bloomfield Road would have appreciated the efforts of his team after they played the last 15 minutes with 10 men.
He said: “We work hard on set plays, the boys embrace it, they want to learn.
“To come up here on a Tuesday night, it’s terrific,” he said. “It’s a great effort and it’s hugely appreciated by me and my staff and the players.
“It’s about desire. It’s good delivery and desire. “Steve Morison gets another assist, he gets ahead of his marker in the box and Mark follows up to score. We work hard that.”
“They would’ve gone away thinking we should have won the game. They know that for 82 minutes we bossed the game 15
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THOMPSON READY FOR MILLWALL RESPONSIBILITY IF CALLED UPON By John Kelly
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EN Thompson says he is ready to fill the midfield gap should Shaun Williams miss Millwall’s clash with Sheffield United this Saturday.
“But everyone stuck together, everyone was talking to each other and I thought we dug in well. “We’re disappointed not to get three points but pleased with the performance.”
Thompson came on for the injured Williams after 50 minutes at Bloomfield Road and had a chance to put the Lions two up only to see his effort blocked.
Thompson could be required to partner George Saville against the Blades this weekend, and he thought they struck up an understanding against Neil McDonald’s side.
Instead Millwall ended up having to grind out a point after Carlos Edwards had been dismissed and Jack Redshaw’s penalty cancelled out Mark Beevers’ opening goal.
“George is a good lad,” he said. “He’s a great player and he was talking to me throughout the game as well as me talking to him. I thought we worked well together.
Thompson, 20, felt his side were unlucky not to get the three points, but stressed they need to start finishing the chances they are creating. He said: “Straight away I had a chance and personally I felt I should have scored. I was disappointed I didn’t.
“Over the last few months I’ve been coming on as a substitute and starting a few games as well. I’m slowly going used to it and coming on (Tuesday) I felt comfortable with the pace, got straight into it and got stuck in.
“We had a bit of bad luck, it wasn’t the best of goals. The defending had been great throughout the game. We had a lot of chances, me as well, and we’ve got to score.
“We’ll see what happens with Shaun’s injury. It looked bad when he went down, I don’t like seeing that. But if I’ve to step in for him I’ll try and do my best.
“I think we need to practise in training and get it sorted on matchday.
“Every day is a learning curve for me, every game I’m learning new things. Every bit of experience helps and I feel I’m slowly getting better and better.”
“It was very disappointing. We should have come out with three points. It was tough towards the end with 10 men but we should have dealt with it. 17
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BOSS HARRIS HOPES WILLIAMS NOT ANOTHER MILLWALL CASUALTY By John Kelly
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ILLWALL will assess Shaun Williams today after the midfielder left the pitch injured in the 1-1 draw with Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on Tuesday night. sending off and he will now hope Williams does not join the long-term casualty list.
Williams went down in the centre circle a few minutes into the second half with Neil Harris sending on Ben Thompson in his place.
Harris said: “We’ll have to see how he is (today). It’s a back spasm by the looks of it, but we’ll have to see how that unfolds. Hopefully with some treatment and some rest we might get him back for Saturday.
The Lions had largely been in control of the game up to that point but Williams’ withdrawal, on top of the unavailability of Jimmy Abdou and Ed Upson, meant Harris was left with an inexperienced midfield pairing of Thompson and George Saville to see the game out against Neil McDonald’s side.
“It changed the rhythm of the game, it gave them a boost and we didn’t adapt. We lost a little bit of control of the game, but we still didn’t look in any danger of losing a goal.
Millwall were within eight minutes of securing a third win in a row after Mark Beevers had given them a first-half lead before a scuffed Brad Potts effort fell to David Norris in the box and he was taken down by last man Carlos Edwards.
“I’m disappointed. I couldn’t see where we were going to concede a goal from. We looked solid, we looked composed, but we weren’t at our best in the second half, that’s for sure.
Blackpool striker Jack Redshaw duly dispatched the spot-kick to the top corner, and Harris felt the injury to Williams had a significant effect on Millwall’s ability to maintain their control of the contest.
“But we never looked in any danger either. We looked like we’d more than comfortably see the game out and the red card and the penalty completely changed the momentum of it.”
But the Millwall boss had no complaints at the award of the penalty or Edwards’
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BLACKPOOL MILLWALL
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ILLWALL PAID the price for failing to add a second goal to their lead against Blackpool on Tuesday night as Jack Redshaw’s penalty eight minutes from time rescued a point for his side.
impetus and the spur to mount their late challenge. One could hazard a guess at the four-letter word that probably went through manager Neil Harris’ mind as he watched influential midfielder Shaun Williams slump to the turf in the centre circle soon after half-time as Blackpool shuffled the ball forward.
And there was another price to be paid too as Carlos Edwards will now be suspended for the red card he received when he bundled over David Norris in the box with the midfielder about to shoot.
Williams was helped off the pitch by physio Bobby Bacic to be replaced with 20-year-old midfielder Ben Thompson and though it didn’t have an immediate negative impact on Millwall’s rhythm Blackpool perceptibly forced the initiative as the game moved towards the last quarter.
Mark Beevers had given the Lions the lead in the first half when he was left in far too much space in the Blackpool penalty area to finish left-footed for his fourth goal of the season after striker Steve Morison’s header had come back off the crossbar.
Indeed, Williams’ departure could have had an unintended consequence as soon after his introduction Thompson, a naturally more attack-minded player, moved into the box but saw his shot blocked.
The turning point in this game was easily to locate, and it was an injury in the one area Millwall could ill-afford to suffer any more that gave Blackpool the
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montage of spectacular saves and that was up there with the best this season.
Williams and George Saville, who once again was outstanding in the centre of the field with his reading of the danger and his careful use of the ball, had given Millwall the control that was set to earn them a third successive win.
That had been Blackpool’s best chance before midfielder Brad Potts scuffed an effort from outside the box towards goal with just less than ten minutes remaining. The ball evaded everyone to land at the feet of Norris with Edwards, probably for the first time this season, caught on the wrong side. Harris had no complaints afterwards and Redshaw blasted his penalty high to Archer’s right with the ball going in off the woodwork.
But that began to erode and Blackpool grew in confidence as Millwall began to drop a little deeper towards the edge of their own box. There still looked to be little danger of an equaliser and the away side seemed to have curbed the threat of Seasiders front pair Redshaw and Mark Cullen, both of whom had troubled Millwall with their movement and quick feet in the first half.
Winger Shane Ferguson should have put Millwall two goals up earlier in the half but Colin Doyle was quick off his line to block with his feet.
It was Cullen who drew one of the saves of the season from Jordan Archer in the 25th minute. As the striker dribbled the ball towards the box the Millwall defence backpedalled unsure whether to commit and Cullen took aim from 25 yards.
Harris had brought on Fred Onyedinma to give Edwards more protection on the right and the 18-yearold also went close when he moved off his wing but pulled his shot wide at the near post. The Millwall supporters thought Aiden O’Brien had added a second when his effort found the side netting but instead Blackpool’s hex over their side, going back five games to November 2011 in this fixture, continued.
His shot took a deflection that took it towards the top corner before Archer somehow stretched to tip the ball onto the crossbar and then he had the presence of mind to gather the rebound. The former Tottenham player is compiling an impressive
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ŠCharlie Compitus
Steve Morison
MILLWALL STRIKER STEVE MORISON: “I THINK I'M A NICE GUY” By John Kelly
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TEVE Morison shrugged off the missed chances against Swindon last Saturday and emphasised that the result takes precedence over individual contributions.
The 32-year-old striker was outstanding against the Robins, but missed a number of chances to polish his performance with a goal.
“I’d love to score more goals… I’ve scored more goals than I did when I first came here in the first few games so I’ll take that as a positive.
However, he was keen to see a third win in a row at The Den as another sign that Millwall have recovered from their stuttering form earlier in the season.
“From a personal point of view, I said to Livers (Dave Livermore) you start to worry when you’re not getting chances. You must be doing something right when you’re getting chances and I feel like I’m playing well.
“It was one of those days,” Morison said. “We won the game so it was another step in the right direction. I’d like to have scored but wouldn’t we all?
“A long as we’re winning that’s all that matters.” In the press lounge after the win over the Robins Morison was asked about the previous perception of him as a surly member of the squad and he responded with humour to the question.
“We hadn’t been winning at home. We’ll take the wins and keep climbing the table. “You try to hit the back of the net, hit the target, and I manage to do that more often than not but keepers seem to be saving them at the minute. But, as I said, three points is all that matters.
He said: “Everyone makes up their own views on you. If you’re not winning I don’t know why you should be walking around with a smile on your face.
24 ©Charlie Compitus
“It’s interesting because I think I’m playing with a smile yet I tried to sign an autograph for someone the other day and they said, ‘I don’t want your autograph’, and I was, like, ‘Alright, that’s fine’!
how far they can go and how good they can be. I wish I’d been as good as them at their age. “It’s been fantastic. I think we’re playing well as a team. Even though we’re light on numbers after a few injuries we seem to be doing well as a group.
“I’m a nice guy! I seem to think I am. Everyone has an impression of you. People can think what they want. I remember some people reporting that I was a bad egg and was not a very good person in the dressing room. You ask Neil Harris if that’s right.”
“We have a great laugh every day, we’ve got some characters. We’re a team, and this team can go a long way.
Morison also shed some light on the atmosphere in the Millwall squad and the chemistry between the younger players and those such as Tony Craig and David Forde who have previously helped Millwall to promotion from League One.
“We worked hard all week (before the Swindon game). We’d conceded five in our last league game but we got the result and the clean sheet. We got the three points and whether you score six, seven, eight or nine it’s still only three points.
He believes that blend can lift the Lions further up the table as the season moves towards its defining stages.
“The season’s not won now and it’s not lost. You look at it, there are four teams near the bottom that are on 12 points. We’re only on 17 but the teams at the top are not too far away. There are so many teams beating each other, it’s mental.
“We’ve got all different types of characters in the dressing room,” he explained. “You’ve got young guys, you’ve got me and… I’m going to put Tony Craig in there as well! You’ve got me, Tony, Carlos and Fordey who are the older players and then you’ve got the young lads.
“If you can put a nice little run together, and we’ve only lost a couple in the last seven or eight games, we’ll be going in the right direction.”
“You look at the ages of some of the lads that we have and it’s frightening to think
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ŠCharlie Compitus
LEE GREGORY FINALLY FIT & CONFIDENT AFTER DIFFICULT SPELL By John Kelly
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EE Gregory says he is finally feeling fit after scoring the first goal in Millwall’s 2-0 defeat of Swindon on Saturday.
tually glad to come off! I was really tired because I put everything into it for the time I was on the pitch.
Gregory, who scored the winner at Shrewsbury on the opening day, lost his place in the side to Aiden O’Brien after a difficult August but along with Steve Morison gave the Robins defence no respite at the weekend.
“It was a good team performance and I was happy with myself so I was pleased to come off with us in front.” Gregory also revealed that before Saturday’s game Harris had made it clear to his two strikers that he expected them to set the tempo against an injury-hit Swindon.
Manager Neil Harris started with three strikers against Swindon, whose manager Mark Cooper left the club after the defeat, with O’Brien in a wide position on the right of midfield.
The result was a potent attacking performance from Millwall and they should have won by more after registering 20 attempts on goal, 10 of them on target.
The tactic paid off 19 minutes into the game when the Lions broke and the Irish striker played in Gregory for the opening goal.
Gregory said: “Before the game on Saturday the gaffer pulled me and Moro to one side and he said the priority was us two working as hard as we possibly could.
Gregory, who has now scored four goals this season, was substituted with 11 minutes left and was given a standing ovation for his efforts by the majority of the 8,524 crowd inside The Den.
“We had to press on because we knew how Swindon played, they like to pass it. He said to us we needed to be on our game, working hard and making sure that they didn’t start passing it, and then we’d win the game.
And he admitted his display was an improvement having struggled to find consistent form so far this season. “It was a much better performance,” Gregory said. “On a personal note my performances haven’t really been there this season. I’ve had a few little niggles here and there but the past couple of weeks I’ve felt 100% fit and I’m feeling more confident now.”
“I think it worked. We pressed from the front and everyone followed. I think that’s why I was so tired, we didn’t really have any rest. “We were working hard up front and then as soon as we got the ball back we were going forward, forward, forward. It was a great game to be involved in.”
“I didn’t really notice (the crowd), I was that tired coming off. For once in my life I was ac27
MILLWALL'S NEIL HARRIS:
THE BOYS HAVE THE BELIEF AND QUALITY By John Kelly
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ILLWALL manager Neil Harris was refusing to take the credit after watching his side cruise to a third win in a row at home on Saturday.
good start, two wins at home. George wants to play, I think you saw a quality performance from a good player. He gives us good balance in midfield.
Lee Gregory and Aiden O’Brien fired the Lions to the win against Swindon but, despite having devised a game plan that left the Robins well beaten, Harris was keen to emphasise the players’ roles in both goals.
“But he was one of a number of top performances and I thought along with Shaun Williams controlled the play and made good decisions on the ball.” Meanwhile the Lions boss acknowledged the criticism that has been levelled at striker Gregory this season, but insisted there is only one group whose opinion counts in the dressing room.
“It’ something we’ve worked on this week, to be honest,” he said of the goals. “So it’s nice to see it come off. But it’s not what we do with the boys, it’s about the boys having the belief and the quality to produce that.
“We all care what people think,” Harris said. “And I think the standing ovation when he went off showed that. Most importantly is how you’re valued by your teammates as a footballer.
“I was delighted with Lee’s goal, delighted with Aiden’s goal and Steve Morison could have easily walked away with the match ball on another day.”
“Your teammates value work ethic, unselfishness, and we’ve got a lot of players like that now in our group and that’s what makes us such a strong group.
Harris was also enthused by the performance of 22-year-old midfielder George Saville, but refused to say whether he’ll be asking Wolves boss Kenny Jackett about his availability for longer than his current 28-day deal.
“Lee took his goal well, and his work rate up front with Steve Morison was outstanding.”
Harris said: “We’ll see how he goes. He’s had a
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MILLWALL SWINDON TOWN
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EE Gregory and Aiden O’Brien fired Millwall to their third successive victory at The Den against a Swindon side who were overwhelmed and could have lost more comprehensively.
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As it was, the Lions had to be happy with two goals – and they now go to Blackpool on Tuesday night in a run of favourable fixtures in October that offers an enticing chance to rise towards the play-off spots.
Gregory put Millwall a goal up against an injury-ravaged Robins on 19 minutes when he shot past Lawrence Vigouroux after being put through by O’Brien.
PROACTIVE OR PRAGMATIC? Neil Harris picked a really attacking line-up with three strikers and Shane Ferguson wide on the left. The feeling after seeing Swindon lose so many first-team players to injury or suspension must have been to go for the jugular of a weakened beast.
Millwall missed a host of chances throughout the game but O’Brien built on his burgeoning reputation by firing in his fifth goal of the season seven minutes after Gregory’s strike.
Swindon have found it difficult to recover from having their Championship hopes dashed by Preston in the play-off final in May. They made some sweeping changes during the summer with 19 players coming in, but they hadn’t won in seven before this game.
This was arguably Millwall’s most dominant performance of the season, yet curiously also one of the most frustrating as Steve Morison, Tony Craig, George Saville and O’Brien, among others, wasted numerous opportunities to hand Swindon an even more severe beating.
And you could see why initially. It was all Millwall in the first half and they should have gone in at the break four goals ahead.
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With most of the attacking intent coming down the left and Joe Martin and Ferguson linking up really well, the goal came from a source on the right. Swindon’s Drissa Traore and Momar Bangoura had been trying to create something for their side when Carlos Edwards won the ball back. It was shifted forward quickly and O’Brien fed Gregory who finished well under Vigouroux.
get the deal extended. And he might look to do the same with Ferguson’s deal. The left-winger was excellent in the first half, producing two superb pieces of control and generally providing the energy and urgency in front of a diligent Martin. The only concern for Harris was that Millwall should have won by more with Morison, otherwise excellent, spurning two glorious chances in the first half.
O’Brien was playing out of position but having initially found it difficult to get into the game he started to flourish with Millwall well on top. His goal was another from range and another from a player in serious form. With that though, will the bigger vultures be circling come January? You would have to conclude yes.
MAN OF THE MATCH It was between O’Brien and Saville but the Irish striker gets it for his decisive contributions. He was cool to play in Gregory and then he connected perfectly with the ball for his goal.
DID THE INJURIES TAKE THEIR TOLL? No, but with the caveat that Swindon were down to the bare bones. Harris went for loan player George Saville to partner Shaun Williams in midfield rather than the more attack-minded Ben Thompson.
He also showed his versatility by starting on the right of midfield and switching to the left when Fred Onyedinma came on. He then went up front when Lee Martin entered the field.
And Saville looks like a real Millwall player. He was composed on the ball and sharp to nip in front of Ben Gladwin late in the first half to initiate another attack. The former Chelsea man, with Williams, who looks a different player to the one dropped for the 2-0 defeat to Chesterfield, gave the defence perfect protection in that space in front of the centre-backs that was exploited ruthlessly by Coventry and Barnsley during that awful home run.
O’Brien has been linked with Everton and Swansea in the past and his value continues to rise. And a measure of his value on the pitch is the improvement in Millwall’s form since he recovered from the injury he picked up in pre-season. As Harris has said, he can link play, hold the ball… and he’s got a wicked shot in him. He’s well on the way to 15 goals this season and that should propel Millwall up the table.
Harris will surely be speaking with Kenny Jackett to
31
CLASSIC NEWSATDEN
MATCH REPORTS A YEAR AGO 25TH OCTOBER 2014
MILLWALL S H I T T U 54 ’
FORDE WILKINSON SHITTU BEEVERS BRIGGS UPSON WILLIAMS L MARTIN MCDONALD GREGORY FULLER
D
1-0 1 2 5 36 3 19 17 7 11 14 10
1 29 3 16 14 15 6 7 27 9 19
CARDIFF CITY MARSHALL BRAYFORD ECUELE MANGA MORRISON FABIO PILKINGTON GUNNARSSON WHITTINGHAM NOONE MACHEDA LE FONDRE
ANNY Shittu marked his return to Millwall’s starting line up with the winning goal as the Lions saw off Cardiff City at The Den.
Noone’s drive. Holloway had promised to freshen up his team after a draining midweek trip to Wigan and he was true to his word, making five changes.
The Nigerian powerhouse settled matters when he headed home Shaun William’s corner nine minutes after half-time.
There were three alterations in defence as Shittu, Mark Beevers and Matthew Briggs all started, while there were also recalls for Williams and Ed Upson.
Ian Holloway’s side were good value for their win and spurned a host of chances to extend their lead during a dominant performance.
The first half was dotted with half chances as both sides got into promising attacking positions.
The visitors’ best chance came at 0-0 when goalkeeper David Forde made an inspired stop to deny Adam Le Fondre after first parrying Craig
In the seventh minute, Briggs’s dangerous cross was cut out before Upson’s follow up delivery
32
© Millwall FC
into the box was headed clear as Millwall threatened for the first time.
the score still 0-0. After a subdued start to the second half, Shittu brought the game to life when he climbed above Macheda to bury Williams’ hanging corner.
After Williams sliced wide from the edge of the box, Beevers picked up an early booking for scything down Federico Macheda. Peter Whittingham drilled the resulting free kick into the wall before Millwall broke down the other end and Upson’s fired a half volley well wide.
Minutes after going in front, Upson went close with a 20-yard blast following a clever set-piece routine. It should have been 2-0 when Williams’ raking pass found Gregory, who lofted the ball over Marshall but also the bar.
Cardiff then spurned two opportunities in quick succession as John Brayford fired over the bar and Adam Le Fondre lobbed a tame effort onto the roof of the net.
Gregory again spurned a guilt-edged chance to increase Millwall’s lead when he fired wide of an unguarded net after Marshall parried McDonald’s shot.
Ricardo Fuller went close to scoring his third goal in his last two Den outings when Briggs sent a teasing ball into the box, but the striker couldn’t connect with a diving header.
Cardiff’s response to falling behind was limited to long-range efforts from Fabio and Anthony Pilkington, both of which were dealt with comfortably by Forde.
Lee Martin’s free kick was glanced wide of the far post by Lee Gregory and Upson drove an effort off target as the Lions continued to edge proceedings.
With the 90-minute mark approaching, the Lions again wasted a chance to put the game to bed when Upson’s measured shot flew inches wide of the far post.
But Forde kept the scores level with an astonishing double save at the other end, parrying Noone’s drive before smothering Le Fondre’s follow up.
Gregory and sub Martyn Woolford both tested Marshall during four minutes of added time but one goal proved enough.
McDonald then shot inches wide on the turn to bring a lively opening 45 minutes to a close with
33
ZAK
WHitbread
Š Millwall FC
© Shrewsbury Town FC
LEAGUE ONE TABLE P W D L F A G D PT 1 Gilling h a m
1 4 9 3 2 2 8 1 4 1 4 30
2 Wa ls a l l 1 4 8 4 2 21 8 1 3 28
3 B ur t o n A l bi on 1 4 8 2 4 1 3 1 3 0 26 4 C o v e n t r y C i t y
1 3 7 3 3 2 0 1 0 1 0 24
5
14
Sh e f f i e l d U n i t e d
7
3
4
2 5
1 9
6
24
6 B ur y 1 4 6 6 2 24 1 9 5 24 7 W iga n A t h l e t i c 1 4 6 5 3 24 1 7 7 23 8 So ut he n d U n i t e d
1 4 6 3 5 1 4 1 5 -1 21
9 C h e s t e r fi e l d 1 4 6 2 6 2 1 2 0 1 20
10 Ro c h da l e 1 4 5 4 5 18 1 6 2 19 1 1 B r a d for d C i t y 1 3 5 4 4 1 5 1 7 -2 19 1 2 C o lche s t e r U n i t e d 1 4 5 4 5 2 1 2 8 -7 19 13
P e t e r borou g h U n i t e d
14
5
3
6
2 6
24
2
18
14 Millw a l l 1 3 5 3 5 2 0 22 -2 18
15 P o r t Va l e 1 4 4 5 5 1 6 1 6 0 17 16 Sc unt h or p e U n i t e d
1 4 5 2 7 1 6 1 8 -2 17
17 O ld h a m A t h l e t i c
1 4 2 9 3 1 7 2 2 -5 15
18 Sh re w s bu r y Tow n
1 4 4 2 8 1 7 2 1 -4 14
19 B a r n s l e y 1 3 4 2 7 16 2 0 -4 14 20 Do n c a s t e r R ove r s 1 3 3 5 5 1 1 1 6 -5 14 2 1 B lack p ool
1 3 3 4 6 1 0 1 8 -8 13
22 F le e t w ood Tow n 1 4 3 3 8 1 8 2 3 -5 1 2 23 Swindon Tow n 1 4 3 3 8 1 8 24 -6 1 2 24
C re w e A l exa n dr a
14
2
4
8
1 3
22
-9
10
FIXTURES SHEFFIELD UNITED B R AMAL L LA NE S ATU RDAY 24 T H OC TOB E R
DONCASTER ROVERS T HE DEN TUESDAY 27 T H OC TOB E R
BRADFORD CITY T HE DEN S ATU RDAY 3 1S T OC TOBE R
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE H O ME PA R K TUESDAY 1 0 TH N OV E M B E R
BURTON ALBION PI REL LI STAD I UM S ATU RDAY 1 4 T H N OV E M B E R
PLAYER STATS LEAGUE ONE
Ap p
Sta r ts
Assi sts
Go als
D. F or de 3 3 0 0 J. Ar c h e r 1 0 1 0 0 0 S. Cu mmi n g s 6 5 0 0 T. Cr a i g 1 3 1 3 0 1 S. Ne l s on 4 4 0 0 M. B e e ve r s 1 2 1 2 0 4 B. We bs t e r 9 7 0 1 S. Fe r g u s on 1 1 5 2 0 M. R ome o 0 0 0 0 C . Pa r r 0 0 0 0 C . Edw a r ds 8 8 1 0 J. M a r t i n 2 2 0 0 S. Wi l l i a ms 1 2 1 2 2 1 E . U p s on 9 8 1 0 L . M a r t i n 5 2 1 0 J. P o w e l l 1 1 0 0 B. T homp s on 7 2 0 0 N. A bdou 9 9 0 1 J. P hi l p ot 0 0 0 0 K . Tw a r de k 0 0 0 0 K . Fa r re l l 0 0 0 0 P. Cow a n H a l l 3 0 0 0 L . G re g or y 1 2 8 0 3 F. O ny e di n ma 1 3 1 0 1 3 J. M a r q u i s 4 0 0 0 S. M or i s on 1 3 1 2 1 2 A. O ’ B r i e n 1 1 8 4 4 A. P a ve y 1 0 0 0
ACADEMY ROUND-UP
UNDER 21S
LAST GAME
QPR 0-4 MILLWALL
Under 21s RESULTS:
MFC GOALSCORERS: Eze (3), Ndjoli
AUGUST Nottingham Forest (A) 3-1 (Pavey)
MILLWALL LINE UP:
Crewe Alexandra (H) 1-0 (Philpot)
Girling,
Charlton Athletic (A) 0-1 (Abandoned) (Romeo)
Parr,
Ipswich Town (H) 3-0 (Philpot, Pavey, Okenabirhie)
Chesmain, Romeo,
SEPTEMBER
Wood,
Leeds United H 3-1 (Pavey 2, Wood)
Mbulu,
Bolton Wanderers (A) 0-2
Cowan-Hall (Brown),
Coventry City (H) 4-1 (Wood, Pavey 3)
Farrell,
Hull City (A) 0-0
Ndjoli, Eze,
OCTOBER
Twardek
Plymouth Argyle (H) 1-0 (Wood) Huddersfield Town (H) 0-2
Subs not used:
QPR (A) 0-4 (Eze 3, Ndjoli)
Sandford, Bray,
TOP SCORERS:
White,
Alfie Pavey - 7
Ezechukwu
Keaton Wood - 3 Ebere Eze - 3 Jamie Philpot - 2
39
LAST SEVEN GAMES DAT E
19 - S e p -15
2 6-Sep-1 5
2 9-Sep-15
CO MP E T IT IO N
L e a g u e On e
Lea g u e One
Lea g u e O ne
OPPO N E N T
S ou t h e n d ( H)
Rochd a l e ( H )
Wi g a n ( A )
RESU LT
0-2 L
3-1 W
2 -2 D
G O AL K E E P E R
Archer
Ar cher
Ar cher
DEFEN DE R S
E dw a r ds
Ed w a rd s
Ed w a rd s
We bs t e r
Web ster
Web ster
Be e ve r s ( 6 9 )
B eevers
B eevers
Craig
Cr a i g
Cr a i g
Ony e di n ma (68 )
Onyed i nma ( 61 )
Upson ( 63)
W i l l i a ms
Wi l l i a ms
Wi l l i a ms
A bdou
Ab d ou
Ab d ou
U p s on ( 5 1)
Fer g u son ( 8 0 )
Fer g u son (64)
O’ Br i e n
O’ B ri en ( 76)
O’ B ri en (83)
M or i s on
M or i son
G reg or y
S UB
For de
For d e
For d e
S UB
Martin
J.M a r ti n
J.M a r ti n
S UB
C ow a n - H a l l ( 68 )
L.M a r ti n ( 8 0)
L.M a r ti n
S UB
G re g or y ( 5 1)
Upson ( 61 )
M or i son (64)
S UB
Marquis
M a r q u i s ( 76)
Onyed i nm a (63)
S UB
Fe r g u s on ( 6 9 )
G reg or y
Marquis
S UB
T h omp s on
Thompson
Thomps o n (83)
M IDFIE L DE R S
AT TAC K E R S
3 - Oct-15
6 - Oc t-15
1 7-Oct-1 5
2 0-Oct-1 5
L e ague O n e
JP T
Lea g u e One
Lea g u e One
P e t e rbo ro ugh (A ) N or t h a mp t on ( H )
Sw i nd on Tow n ( H )
B l a ckp ool (A )
5-3 L
2-0 W
2 -0 W
1 -1 D
A r ch e r
Archer
Archer
Ar cher
E d w ard s
C u mmi n g s
Ed w a r d s
Ed w a rd s
Webste r
Craig
Cra i g
Cr a i g
Be evers
Be e ve r s
B eever s
B eevers
Crai g
J Martin
J M a r ti n
J M a r ti n
Onyedin m a
L Martin (60)
O’ B r i en
O’ B ri en
W il li ams
S a vi l l e
Wi l l i a ms
Sa vi l l e
A bd o u ( 5)
P ow e l l ( 6 0 )
Sa vi l l e ( 60)
Wi l i a ms ( 50)
U pson ( 62 )
O’ Br i e n
Ferg u son ( 66)
Fer g u son (83)
O’ Brie n
M or i s on
M ori son ( 91 )
M or i son
Mo ri so n
G re g or y
G reg or y ( 79)
G reg or y (63)
F ord e
Girling
Ford e
For d e
J. M ar tin
N e l s on
Cu mmi ng s
Cu mmi ngs (83)
L .Mar tin
T h omp s on ( 6 0 )
Web ster
Web ster
G re go r y ( 7 5)
Ony e di n ma ( 6 0)
Thomp son
Thompson (50)
Ferguson (62)
Marquis
L M a r ti n ( 79)
L M a r ti n
Marqui s
Onyed i nma ( 66)
Onyed i nma (63)
T homps o n ( 5) ( 7 5 )
Pa vey ( 91 )
Pa vey
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