NewsAtDen Magazine Issue 19

ISSUE

19

NEIL HARRIS

FRUSTRATED WITH LIONS' FINISHING IN OXFORD DEFEAT 1

2

CONTENTS EXCLUSIVE

4 12 18 36

PREVIEW

HARRIS FRUSTRATED WITH MILLWALL’S FINISING IN OXFORD DEFEAT

PORT VALE

OPINION

NEWS

THREE THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR

MARTIN HEADS DOWN COBBLED PATH

MATCH REPORT

REVIEW

MILLWALL 0 OXFORD

INTERVIEW

2

BACK TO THE FUTURE - OF 1999

MATCH REPORT

O’BRIEN PLEASED TO GET MILLWALL BACKING WITH NEW DEAL

OLDHAM

1

MILLWALL 2 3

8 16 20 50

ŠMillwall FC

HARRIS FRUSTRATED WITH MILLWALL'S FINISHING IN OXFORD DEFEAT

By John Kelly

enough chances to get something from the game and is hoping for more clinical shooting in the return leg.

ILLWALL manager Neil Harris said his side will take the positives from Thursday night’s 2-0 defeat against Oxford to Kassam Stadium next month.

M

“I thought some of our play was really good,” he said. “We were a little bit direct, which I think is our way anyway. When we took care of the ball up front and got the ball in wide areas we got in so many good positions but just the final ball into the box and the finishing wasn’t quite the standard we expect and that we’re used to.

Harris felt Millwall were unlucky not to take any of the chances they created, saying they could have scored “six goals” against Michael Appleton’s side.

Oxford were 2-0 up at the break through two Kemar Roofe goals after they dominated the first half at The Den.

“If you look at the goals we scored last Saturday to the end product (Thursday), that was the difference.

Millwall played with a higher tempo in the second half and put Benjamin Buchel under pressure with a number of balls into the box, but the goalkeeper saved a couple of efforts from Steve Morison to ensure a clean sheet.

Harris

stressed

Millwall

“It is frustrating. Oxford had some nice passages of play football-wise. But we had most of the possession, most of the territory and all the chances.

But we’re sitting here frustrated with a defeat again.

created 5

“It’s similar to Walsall, maybe, at times, sat here after that saying, ‘Brilliant second half, could have scored six goals, but didn’t’.”

Millwall have kept just three clean sheets in their last 14 games after seven in their 15 before that. They have also yet to come from behind to win a game since the 2-1 victory over Shrewsbury on the opening day of the season.

Neither fact was lost on Harris.

“If you don’t score goals home or away you’ve got to be able to keep a clean sheet,” he said. “At the moment we’re not keeping enough clean sheets and we’re not scoring enough goals in games when we go behind to get back in the game.

“I said to the players at half-time, ‘They’ll come. We’ll keep putting balls in the box, keep getting in good areas, it’ll fall for us, we’ll have a bit of quality and put the ball in the net’.

“Obviously it didn’t but you’re thinking if we get one back we could have comfortably got two or three. That’s the belief that we’ll take into the second leg. We can’t have the bad finishing and the misfortune in the penalty area again in this tie.

“So, as ever, lots to work on.

“But if Oxford can come here and beat us 2-0 we can go there and win 2-0.

“When we go to Oxford and score 6

we have to score again and again.”

Oxford boss Appleton, meanwhile, wasn’t entirely satisfied with his side’s second half performance. After dominating the first 45 minutes, Oxford were forced to defend more on the edge of their own box as Millwall sought a breakthrough.

Appleton said Oxford will be better in the return leg.

“I was disappointed we got deeper in the second half,” he told Oxford Mail.

“Some of our experienced players should know better than that because it was an opportunity to get three or four goals and really wrap the tie up.

“We asked Benji to make too many saves and I expect a different performance at the Kassam.

“I don’t want to get carried away or sound arrogant, but I have come to expect us to do certain things and when you know what the players are capable of, you want it all the time.

“But we’ve got a 2-0 win and we have to be happy.”

7

ŠMillwall FC

8

PREVIEW:

PORT VALE

By John Kelly

A

place in midfield after featuring in Port Vale’s last two games. Those 1-0 wins over Bury and Blackpool leave them just a point behind Millwall in the league table.

IDEN O’Brien could come back into Neil Harris’ line-up as Millwall attempt to arrest a run of four successive home defeats when they face Port Vale in League One on Sunday.

“I will take those problems all day long because we are winning and have kept a clean sheet. It is up to the players that have been playing well to lose the jersey,” Page said.

O’Brien replaced Joe Martin in the 64th minute of the 2-0 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy defeat to Oxford on Thursday night with Shane Ferguson dropping back to left-back.

“I have good characters in the squad that are pushing people in the team. They can’t take their foot off the pedal because they know that, if they do, they run the risk of losing that jersey. It is a fantastic problem to have as a manager.”

Steve Morison, Lee Gregory and O’Brien have scored 30 times between them this season and against a side with the fifth best defensive record in the division Harris could decide to include all three to increase Millwall’s goal threat.

Form guide (Last five fixtures): Millwall: LWLWL Port Vale: DLLWW

Harris refused to say whether there will be a change in goal following David Forde’s error against Oxford when he let Kemar Roofe’s cross in at the near post, but it would be a surprise were he to drop the 36-year-old Republic of Ireland international, who has been in good form recently.

Sky Bet odds: Millwall 17/20 Draw 5/2 Port Vale 16/5 Probable Millwall team: 4-4-2: Forde; Cummings, Webster, Beevers, Ferguson; Wallace, Abdou, Williams, O’Brien; Morison, Gregory.

Ed Upson could put pressure on Shaun Williams or Jimmy Abdou for a place in midfield, while Jed Wallace (pictured, above) will play his second successive game at The Den following a promising display on Thursday.

Last meeting: Sky Bet League One September 15, 2015 Port Vale 0 Millwall 2 Beevers 58, Gregory 90 (pen).

Port Vale boss Rob Page, meanwhile, told The Stoke Sentinel this week that he is pleased with the progress his side have made this season.

Defender Ryan Inniss is available again after injury, while veteran midfielder Michael Brown, who will turn 39 this month, could keep his

9

10

11

ARCHER BACK TO NUMBER ONE? Neil Harris may have backed himself into a corner over the goalkeeper situation.

From the outside, the perception was Jordan Archer was punished for his mistake in the 3-0 defeat to Gillingham. After calling for the ball he failed to reach it before Cody MacDonald, with his foul on the striker bringing a red card and penalty.

There may have been more to it than that. Harris made some reference to Archer’s attitude in training before that game.

The Millwall boss was asked in the press lounge after the game whether he would change his goalkeeper, but, understandably, he declined to comment.

THREE THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR

By John Kelly

12

Archer could justifiably be thinking he should be restored to the starting side for the league clash with Port Vale on Sunday. It’s certainly difficult to excuse Forde for letting in Kemar Roofe’s cross as no argument can be made that there was too much pace or swerve on the ball or that he was unsighted. He may have taken his eyes off it for a moment but it was a poor mistake to make for a goalkeeper with such experience.

Harris said afterwards: “(Forde) made a bad mistake for the goal but he held his hands up.

No problem.”

Taking Harris at his word, and there is certainly no reason not to, Forde will start against Rob Page’s side.

If Forde is left out, then the risk is Harris is conveying the message to both keepers that one strike means out.

HOME DISCOMFORT Millwall have lost their last four games at home, the second time this season they have suffered that losing run.

If losing four earlier on in the season was understandable coming so soon after the overhaul of the squad in the summer and players injured or just returning from spells out, the latest sequence is more damning.

ATTACKING SET-PIECE IMPROVEMENT NEEDED

Two of those defeats were against League Tow sides. Oxford dominated the first half on Thursday night and their much quicker movement off the ball and quicker movement of the ball was immediately evident.

In those four home defeats Millwall had 27 corners and numerous free-kicks in good positions, but didn’t score from any of them.

Millwall looked static and rigid by comparison.

They did create chances but it was through the kind of direct football that Michael Appleton said his side were prepared for.

After such a productive run in September to November when Mark Beevers and Byron Webster scored eight goals between them they have failed to find the net since.

Chances are always likely to be created by getting the ball forward directly from back to front against third- or fourth-tier defenders, especially with a striker like Steve Morison who is so effective in the air, but there is little in that tactic that will surprise a defence.

Against Oxford several corners failed to clear the first defender and one from Shaun Williams went directly wide. Beevers also wasted an opportunity when in space 12 yards out he headed well wide.

Millwall created a number of chances in the second half but arguably the best was fashioned by Oxford and was an apt illustration of their philosophy as well as a sign of how much more clued-in they were than their opponents. It started with George Baldock’s quick throw to Roofe who had come short to snap a pass to Alex MacDonald running off the ball and off his right wing, and when he crossed Patrick Hoban volleyed inches wide of goal. It should have been 3-0.

Millwall have not recovered a losing position to win since the opening day of the season and they have lost seven of their last 11 games.

The dip in their set-piece effectiveness is at least one factor explaining their poor form of the last two months.

Against the fifth best defence in the league, the quality of their set-piece deliveries must improve.

They were similarly constructive before Roofe headed in his second, with passes zipping between MacDonald, Chris Maguire, John Lundstram and Liam Sercombe even if it did involve an element of good fortune when Lundstram’s shot came back of the crossbar and fell perfectly to the goalscorer.

Millwall weren’t capable of producing the same kind of football and, particularly in the first half of the opening period, there was rising tension from the crowd as Oxford registered a two/third possession count.

The Lions only started to press effectively after the break and the wonder is why they didn’t start with the same urgency when all the evidence of Oxford’s cup savvy this season portended trouble.

Millwall have allowed teams have the ball this season and been content to break. They need to be more proactive this weekend to get the crowd onside early against Port Vale.

13

David Forde has made 369 appearances in professional football in England and has only come on as a substitute once – in the 3-0 defeat to Gillingham on December 19, 2015 after Jordan Archer had been sent off.

14

ŠMillwallFC

Stat's that...

BY JOHN KELLY

62 1-1 25 1-0 5-0

21

Millwall have lost four successive games at home – the second time this season that sequence has occurred.

The Lions have lost seven of their last 11 fixtures in all competitions.

1

Port Vale have been steadily improving as the season has gone on. Boss Rob Page said this week they conduct a review after every eight games.

They won nine league points from their first eight games, 11 points from the second block and 13 from their third.

12

Millwall are now 66/1 to win the League One title. They were 14/1 before the start of the season. Neil Harris’ side are 8/1 to be promoted to the Championship. Port Vale, despite being just a point behind Sunday’s opponents, are 50/1 to go up.

24K

Millwall had 44 shots on goal in their last four home games, but of all those efforts just one has hit the back of the net.

15

Port Vale’s Michael Brown will be the oldest player on the pitch if he plays this Sunday.

The former Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder will turn 39 on January 25.

Vale’s record transfer fees received and paid out both involved Gareth Ainsworth. They splashed out £500,000 to sign him from Lincoln City in September, 1997 and sold him a little over a year later to Wimbledon for £2million.

In their 140-year history Port Vale have never finished higher than fifth in the second tier of league football. They have also never reached a major national cup final.

The club’s official account has 55,400 followers on Twitter, Port Vale have 25,200.

ŠMillwallFC

MARTIN HEADS DOWN COBBLED PATH

By John Kelly

M

ILLWALL winger Lee Martin has joined Northampton Town on a 28-day loan deal from Millwall.

Martin, 28, has been out of favour for most of the season and hasn’t started a league game for the Lions since the 4-0 defeat to Coventry on August 15 last year when he was taken off at half-time.

with the likes of Glasgow Rangers, Stoke City and Ipswich Town. He started his career at Manchester United for whom he played one league game and featured twice in the League Cup.

His last start in any competition was against Northampton in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy second round on October 6 when, ironically, he was taken off after an hour with the tie still scoreless. His last appearance for Millwall was against Wycombe in the FA Cup on December 6.

He joined Millwall from Ipswich in July, 2013 and played an important role that season in helping the Lions avoid relegation to League One. He featured 29 times last season but in the current campaign has fallen behind Shane Ferguson, Ed Upson and Fred Onyedinma in the consideration for selection.

Martin joins a Northampton side in second place in League Two, behind leaders Plymouth only on goal difference.

Martin will go straight into Northampton’s squad for their League One clash with Dagenham & Redbridge this weekend.

The Cobblers will be the 10th club of Martin’s career following spells

17

MILLWALL OXFORD UNITED

0 2

©MillwallFC

M

the centre of the box.

ILLWALL will have it all to do at Kassam Stadium in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy area final second leg as a double from Kemar Roofe handed Oxford United a huge advantage at The Den on Thursday night.

The Lions went more direct as the half went on, but Buchel saved twice from Morison and coped with a number of balls into the box to ensure his side have a significant lead to take into the second leg.

Roofe put Oxford ahead after a quarter of an hour when his cross from the left deflected off David Forde and snuck in at the near post.

OXFORD SHOW MORE VIBRANCY There was a 20-second cameo at the end of the first that illustrated one of the differences between the sides. Joe Martin got the ball on the left near the midfield line. He held his hands out to convey a lack of options before Ferguson showed to play the ball back to Beevers. He passed it to Byron Webster who gave it immediately back, but Patrick Hoban’s quick pressing forced the defender to go long looking for Morison. Referee Stuart Atwell’s whistle went as Oxford were about to win the ball back but that was typical of the opening 45 minutes.

The attacker, who scored twice against Swansea to knock them out of the FA Cup last Sunday, put Oxford 2-0 up when he headed past Forde from close range.

Millwall went close to scoring in the first half but Lee Gregory shot over when well placed and Benjamin Buchel saved Steve Morison’s header.

Mark Beevers should have halved the deficit only to head wide from Shane Ferguson’s free-kick from

18

Oxford seemed to have a clearer purpose about what they were trying to do. Michael Appleton’s side moved the ball quickly into wide areas where there was space, principally down the right where George Baldock and Alex MacDonald provided a real attacking threat.

and it was telling that Atwell awarded a number of free-kicks to the keeper.

Buchel made another vital intervention in the 80th minute when after Beevers appeared to block Chris Maguire’s shot with his arms Millwall countered.

The ball eventually fell to Morison in the box but his shot from 12 yards was straight at Buchel.

Where Oxford’s midfield pressed, Millwall’s tended to fall back too close to their defence. It was from such a pattern Oxford went 2-0 ahead, John Lundstram having too much space to shoot and when the ball crashed back off the crossbar Roofe headed in his second of the game.

Millwall certainly had their chances.

SECOND LEG PROSPECTS In a word – bleak. Oxford had already beaten Swansea, Brentford and Swindon in cups this season and added Millwall to that list relatively comfortably.

He had given his side the lead in much more fortuitous circumstances when his cross from the left in the 15th minute seemed to deceive Forde who could only help it in.

Millwall will hope that a deal can be worked out with Newcastle and Ferguson before the return leg at Kassam Stadium in February. Even if they do it’s difficult to see them retrieving this tie.

Millwall had their chances in the opening period, but Gregory wasted the best of them when a poor touch after he had got in behind the Oxford defence allowed Buchel to bravely smother the ball.

Gregory lifted another shot well over the bar to the increasing annoyance of the home crowd who booed the players off at the break.

Oxford have now lost just four times in 35 games in all competitions and it was evident why. As well as having those players that can play in tight situations, they have pace and the physical nous to augment their passing style.

It was difficult to argue Oxford didn’t deserve that half-time cushion.

They also expected the direct play they would face, and centre-backs Jake Wright and Johnny Mullins gave little away aerially all night.

OXFORD TOTEM Roofe and Liam Sercombe had scored 28 out of Oxford’s 59 goals this season before this fixture.

Watching both the wonder is how they are playing in League Two and the same could be said of 21-year-old central midfielder Lundstram who was a deep creative fulcrum as well as a destroyer. The former Everton player was able to operate in space in front of his defence allowing the energetic Sercombe get forward.

Oxford will take all of that into the second leg and if they are as commanding and confident as this it will be Appleton preparing his side for a Wembley date in April.

Lundstram was busier defensively in the second period as Millwall pressed more urgently than they had done in the first half. The home side forced a number of corners and free-kicks but they couldn’t capitalise. Beevers will feel he should have done better when he found himself totally free 10 yards out after Ferguson had crossed, but he headed well wide.

Buchel in the Oxford goal had an eventful night and was put under physical pressure a number of times

by Morison. That was the nature of Millwall’s game

©MillwallFC

19

ŠMillwallFC

20

BACK TO THE FUTURE - OF 1999

By Mark Litchfield

Whether it’s the Auto Windscreen Shield, the LDV Vans Trophy or its current set-up, the ‘JPT’ often sees crowds barely reaching four figures in the earlier rounds, but when all is said and done and the two finalists have been decided, a showdown at Wembley Stadium and the rare opportunity to bag some silverware is on offer.

HE 2015/16 Sky Bet League One season has seen many twists and turns so far, ranging from a 4-0 thumping at the hands of promotion candidates, Coventry City, to a score-line of the same variety at Roots Hall just after Christmas – with peaks and troughs littered around in between.

T

Currently, Neil Harris’ Lions potentially sit ninety (or more) minutes away from a fifth appearance at the Home of Football in seven years, but they’ll have to produce something extraordinary to do so, after the 2-0 defeat against Oxford on Thursday night. However, should they do enough to advance to the Final, it won’t be the first time that the Den faithful will have descended on the borough of Brent with regards to the competition.

At the time of writing, Millwall sit just outside the play-offs in English football’s third tier; perfectly positioned to attack the top six at the season reaches its business end.

However, the greatest chance of success is seemingly coming from a competition often ridiculed by football fans up and down the country – the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

21

The 1998/99 season saw a young Lions team beginning to mark their territory in league and cup competitions. The old heads of Nigel Spink, Bobby Bowry and Paul Shaw were beginning to be supported by new names, such as young Aussie, Tim Cahill, Irish striker, Richard Sadlier, new kid on the block, Neil Harris and more, as the club looked to gain promotion out of Division Two (now League One) and get themselves into the second tier of the pyramid.

handed Alan McLeary and Keith Stevens’ charges a tricky trip down to the south coast to take on Brighton and Hove Albion. 810 fans made their way to the Goldstone Ground as the final year of the millennium began – and they went home happy, thanks to a five-star show from the Lions.

Jamie Moralee - an ex-Millwall striker, who was part of the side that fought for promotion to the Premier League under Mick McCarthy in the early to mid 90’s opened the scoring for the Seagulls in the 15th minute, but that was as good as it got for the hosts, as a Neil Harris double, coupled with strikes from Gerard Lavin, Paul Shaw and youth product, Danny Hockton, sent the Lions into the last eight of the Southern Section, where they would meet AFC Bournemouth at Dean Court.

The league campaign saw Millwall finish in 10th position in the table, after a brief flirtation with the play-offs around the end of January. Dele Adebola proved to be the difference in the Coca-Cola Cup, as the Lions bowed out to Birmingham City in Round One, 2-1 on aggregate (the contest was two-legged the whole way in those days), whilst the FA Cup campaign also failed to register past its inaugural stage, as Swansea City quickly dispatched the Lions 3-0 at Vetch Field.

Bournemouth, themselves aiming for promotion to Division One, started the game well and took the lead as early as the 5th minute, through ex-Chelsea frontman, Mark Stein, but the Lion cubs fought back and equalised seven minutes before the break, courtesy of the experienced Shaw. The second half and extra-time produced no more goals, meaning that for the only time that season, a penalty shoot-out would decide Millwall’s fate. Bobby Bowry missed his spot-kick, but Shaw converted, along with Steven Reid, Robbie Ryan and Richard

December 9th, 1998 saw Cardiff City visit The Den in Round One of the Auto Windscreen Shield; only 1,858 were present on a bitterly cold night in SE16, but goals from Shaw and Harris set the Lions on the road to Wembley – a road that would ultimately finish in heartbreak.

After the 2-0 win over the Bluebirds, the Second Round draw 22

Sadlier, as the Lions won 4-3, setting up an Area Semi-Final tie with local rivals, Gillingham.

time.

Tim Cahill’s fourth-minute strike settled the game, but the Saddlers got their revenge just four days later in the league, as Colin Cramb’s double – one from the penalty spot – cancelled out Neil Harris’ strike, keeping the Midlands club hot on the heels of the top two – they would eventually win automatic promotion at the end of the season.

A mere fortnight passed between the Bournemouth tie and the Semi-Final, but that was enough time for 11,555 fans to snap up tickets for the crunch clash, refereed

by Andy D’Urso. In the pressure cooker atmosphere of The Den, neither the Lions or the Gills could make the breakthrough in normal time, meaning that McLeary and Stevens’ side stood thirty minutes from a second consecutive penalty shoot-out for a place in the Area Final. However, with the extra period just seven minutes old, Richard Sadlier fired past Vince Bartram in the opposition goal, to hand Millwall a 1-0 victory via the ‘Golden Goal’ rule. They now found themselves just one round from Wembley; they would meet Walsall in a two-legged Southern Area Final for the right to play there on April 18th.

2,000 (officially, anyway) Millwall fans travelled up the M6 for the second leg, with the Lions holding a slender lead from the Den tie the previous week. Gerard Lavin won back his place at right-back from Marc Bircham, who deputised there in the league game, while Joe Dolan retained his place at centre-back at the expense of Stevens. Paul Ifill replaced Steven Reid, with Bobby Bowry stepping in for the suspended Cahill.

Sadlier opened the scoring on a cagey evening in the Midlands in the 37th minute, doubling the aggregate score in the process. As the Den faithful began to see the Twin Towers of Wembley on the horizon, in the 89th minute, Sigurður Ragnar Eyjólfsson levelled the scores on the night, edging Walsall to within one of the Lions on aggregate.

Ironically, both legs of the Final were scheduled to take place either side of a league match against the Saddlers, meaning that the trio of ties began on March 9th at The Den for the first leg. Ben Roberts, a loan signing from Middlesbrough, returned in goal after missing out for the previous three matches to Phil Smith, whilst Stevens named himself in the starting line-up, as the Lions looked to gain an advantage before the second leg at the Bescot Stadium in seven days

The Saddlers huffed and puffed in injury time to level the tie, but couldn’t blow the south London 23

shaped house down; referee Mr Pugh blew his whistle for one final time to signal the end of the game shortly after - Millwall had done it. From a baltic night in front of a sub-2,000 crowd in December, that very same number (plus a few more) were jubilant, following a 1-1 draw (2-1 on aggregate) on the Bescot pitch, as players and fans alike joined together in celebration – full-on conga included.

April 18th arrived with nearly 48,000 Lions fans descending on Wembley Stadium for the clubs first visit since the 1945 War Time Cup Final, with just 7,000 Wigan supporters creating a little pocket at one end of the stadium, amongst a sea of blue and white.

The teams made their way on to the pitch to a cacophony of noise, as the usual procedure of the national anthem, meeting with dignitaries etc followed in front of the Sky Sports cameras.

For me, as an eight-year old boy, I had to make do with following the score on Teletext. As the page with our game on it ticked back around (they always took ages, didn’t they?) showing ‘Walsall 1-1 Millwall FT’, the widest smile crept across my face – I was going to watch my team at Wembley Stadium. The Twin Towers. The Home of Football. Nothing else mattered – not even the fact that it was well past my bedtime and I had school in the morning!

McLeary and Stevens opted to start with Ben Roberts in goal, with Gerard Lavin, Joe Dolan, Stuart Nethercott and Jamie Stuart making up the back four. Paul Ifill, Tim Cahill, Ricky Newman and Steven Reid acted as the midfield four, whilst Neil Harris and Richard Sadlier were charged with scoring the goals to fire the Lions to glory. Sadlier nearly didn’t make the Final – his call-up for the Irish Under-20 national side threatened to curtail his Wembley appearance, but events coincided to allow the striker to turn out for his club on the grandest stage.

The Lions’ opponents on the biggest stage would be the winners of the Northern Section, Wigan Athletic. Despite the Lancashire outfit being in the top six in the lead up to the game, Millwall had taken six points off the Latics earlier in the season – a 1-0 win at Springfield Park (courtesy of Paul Shaw) on the opening day and a 3-1 win at The Den in January – therefore going into the game with confidence.

The game ebbed and flowed, with chances for either team going begging. There were no goals as the 90th minute approached; everyone was preparing themselves from extra-time. However, it was not to be for the courageous Lions, as deep into injury time, Wigan snatched all the glo-

24

ry – and the Auto Windscreen Shield trophy – away from them in highly controversial and heartbreaking circumstances.

laugh, as they romped to the Division Two title, leaving the Latics behind as they embarked on life in the second tier.

With the Latics on the attack, the ball was sent out to the right-hand side and into the path of winger, Andy Liddell. Liddell took the ball down and crossed into the box, where he found the onrushing Paul Rogers, who stroked the ball past Roberts in the Millwall goal, scoring one of only five goals in three years at the Springfield Park club.

There are many parallels that you can draw with that team and this current one. On the management side of things, Neil Harris is relatively inexperienced – at the time, so were Keith Stevens and Alan McLeary. Both sides were packed with experience – the current sides answer to the likes of Paul Shaw, Stuart Nethercott etc include the likes of David Forde, Tony Craig and Steve Morison, whilst the young guns of Ben Thompson, Aiden O’Brien and Fred Onyedinma echo the likes of Steven Reid, Paul Ifill, Richard Sadlier and more.

Replays showed that Liddell had clearly taken the ball down with his right arm in the build-up, but unfortunately, this went unpunished by the referee, Mr Wilkes, cruelly ending the Lions chances of silverware.

Should they get past Oxford United, either Barnsley or Fleetwood Town will await in the Final. Can the 2016 version of Millwall go one better than their 1999 counterparts and claim the glory at Wembley in April?

Of course, the season after, Wigan would once again prove to be a thorn in the side of Millwall, defeating them in the Division Two play-off semi-finals, but the season after, the Lions had the last

25

26 ŠMillwallFC

MILLWALL'S CUMMINGS WANTS ANOTHER WEMBLEY CHANCE

By John Kelly

M

ILLWALL defender Shaun Cummings says he is “relishing” the opportunity of facing Oxford on Thursday night as the Lions attempt to make it back to Wembley for the first time since 2013.

Cummings will be part of a Millwall back four working to take a clean sheet to Kassam Stadium for the second leg on February 3.

get to the final against Swansea. We managed that but I didn’t play in the final so hopefully I’ll get to play there if we get through this.

The closest Cummings has come to playing at Wembley was in 2011 when after featuring on the right wing in Reading’s 3-0 second leg Championship play-off semi-final win over Cardiff he was an unused substitute as the Royals lost 4-2 to Swansea in the final.

“I think any stage to go out in a cup competition is not good but obviously when you get so close you want to get over that last hurdle. It would probably be worse to go out now being so close to the big stage.”

Cummings has taken his chance in the first team in the absence of the injured Carlos Edwards and scored his first goal for Millwall at Southend in the last game of 2015.

Cummings is eager to make up for that double disappointment over the course of the two-legged area final against Michael Appleton’s side.

He has some inside knowledge of how Appleton works, having played under the then West Brom first-team coach in 2009.

“I haven’t played in a big cup final so I’m relishing the chance to play in the area final with a chance of getting to Wembley,” Cummings said.

“He’s a really nice person and knows his football, you can see that from how well they are doing, they’re a de-

“The biggest game I played in was the Championship play-off to try to

27

cent side,” Cummings said.

“He gets on with everyone. He obviously has a lot of respect from his team. The players know what he wants and they’ve been producing it for him.”

With Oxford expected to bring up to 1,000 supporters to The Den, Cummings hopes that the backing of the home crowd will help to give his side the upper hand going into the second leg.

He said: “I’m sure there will be a very good turnout. With it being live on Sky as well we’ll hopefully get people behind us in the stadium and then take advantage in the first leg.”

28

29

30 ŠMillwall FC

MILLWALL PERSIST IN ATTEMPTS TO SECURE FERGUSON'S SIGNATURE

By John Kelly

M

ILLWALL will continue their efforts to sign Shane Ferguson on a permanent deal from Newcastle after extending his loan until January 23.

of the season that would be a good option for us.

“We’ve extended it for the next couple of weeks to get Shane for the next three games and we’ll try to sort a deal out in that time.

It gives us more communication time with Newcastle and his agent.

Ferguson is available for the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy area final clash with Oxford on Thursday and for the league games with Port Vale and away at Chesterfield.

“It will enable us to have a clearer picture. I’d like to keep Shane long term but there’s more than one party involved. It’s not always possible to do it immediately.

Lions boss Neil Harris is also open to the possibility of keeping Ferguson on loan until the summer.

“When you’re trying to sort things out longer term a lot has to be right. It has to be right for us, for Newcastle and for the player.

Harris explained: “He’s extended the loan for two more weeks while we try to sort out a deal with Newcastle and the boy.

“The biggest thing of all is you have to consider competition from other clubs for a player of that quality.

“Like I said before we would like to do it and do it permanently.

Shane’s got the European Championships coming up and he wants time to consider his options coming out of Newcastle.

“If we could extend it to the end

“What is certain is Shane has enjoyed his time here.”

31

E R U AT

E F NEW

ŠMillwall FC

P LAYER PROF I L E :

RICH ARD SADLIER

By Mark Litchfield

‘O ferent.

OH aah, Richard Sadlier! Ooh aah, Richard Sadlier!’

The Irishman made his senior debut amidst tough times for the Lions – they had entered administration on January 20th, 1997 and with the situation beginning to look bleak, manager Jimmy Nicholl was asked to leave his post just three weeks after. Nevertheless, on February 1st, Sadlier made his first appearance in the blue of Millwall, coming on as a 75th minute substitute for Ricky Newman in a 2-0 home defeat by Bristol City.

For one young Irishman, it could have been so dif-

Bursting on to the scene in the late 1990’s after a move over the Irish Sea from Belvedere, Richard Sadlier became a household name in SE16, scoring 41 goals in 119 starts for Millwall.

His goal-scoring exploits, alongside current manager, Neil Harris and the experienced Paul Moody in the Second Division title-winning team of the 2000/01 season alerted the Premier League’s big boys, who would go on to make enquiries for his services.

A few more substitute appearances followed, before new manager, John Docherty, handed Sadlier his first start in a goalless draw with Crewe Alexandra on March 1st. The 1997/98 campaign saw the striker net three goals in his first four starts, with his first strike in a Lions shirt coming against Brentford on the opening day, but he did not feature for the rest of the season, next making an appearance on the first afternoon of the 1998/99 season against Wigan Athletic, as Millwall looked

However, just as it looked as though ‘Sads’ was destined for the big time, hip injuries began to plague his promising career; injuries that eventually lead to his extremely premature and unjust retirement from the playing side of the game in 2003/04.

33

to re-build from the dark days of administration with Keith Stevens at the helm.

son, injuries began to niggle away at the striker, side-lining him for nearly eight months – the majority of the season.

It was here that the towering frontman began to make his mark, slowly beginning to cement his role as a first-team regular, scoring five goals in thirty-one appearances, as the Lions finished 10th in the old Division Two.

He did make a brief comeback in the month of March, scoring once in four appearances (in a 1-1 draw v Burnley), but he missed the remainder of the campaign, before being unable to start the 2003/04 season due to the same injury.

The following season saw Sadlier alternate with Moody with regards to being the foil for the unstoppable Harris (who scored 25 times that season) as Wigan Athletic cruelly ended Millwall’s hopes of promotion in the playoff semi-finals; that continued into the 2000/01 campaign, but this time, the Lions would go one better under the stewardship of Mark McGhee, as they romped to the Division Two title in style.

After attempting a slight return in late August, Sadlier’s last appearance in a Millwall shirt came in a 0-0 draw at Stoke City, as a 71st minute replacement for Andy Roberts.

After two operations on a hip injury, the Irishman could not overcome the odds – despite many attempts to do so – and was forced to retire in the September.

Sads would play his part, scoring seven times in twenty-nine games, assisting twenty-seven-goal Harris many times and with the Irishman beginning to reach his peak – with a full Irish callup for the 2002 World Cup in his sights – he netted a further fourteen times in thirty-seven Division One games, as Millwall began life back in the second tier with a bang, eventually losing out on back-to-back promotions to the Premier League, missing out on the play-off final to Birmingham City in devastating circumstances.

Richard now works in the media, most notably for Irish channel, RTÉ Sport and writes a regular column, but it could have been so different for the frontman.

Speaking shortly after his retirement, Mark McGhee said of Sadlier: “I’ve managed at four clubs now and Richard Sadlier is the best young centre forward I’ve seen. He had the potential to go right to the top.”

“It is a shame for him and for the game in general that he has had to retire.”

With interest from higher up beginning to surface, the only way was up for Sadlier – however, after featuring in a 0-6 defeat at home to Rotherham United to open up the 2002/03 sea-

I don’t think you’ll find a Millwall fan anywhere in the world that will disagree with that.

34

©Millwall FC

©Getty Images

35

O'BRIEN PLEASED TO GET MILLWALL BACKING WITH NEW DEAL

By John Kelly

A

O’Brien said: “I woke up happy and I feel that the new deal took a lot of weight off my shoulders.

IDEN O’Brien said he “woke up happy” on Tuesday morning after signing a new long-term deal with Millwall.

“There were a lot of talks in getting a new deal in the past month or so and it hadn’t been done. I’m glad it has now and I can concentrate on my football.

“It was always agreed with the manager and my dad and myself that if I were to do well then we would basically rip up the contract I was on and go for bigger and better things.

The club moved to secure the attacker until the summer of 2019 to head off interest in the 22-year-old from the Premier League following a number of eye-catching performances this season.

O’Brien has scored 10 goals in all competitions and has proven his versatility by playing up front and on either wing from where he has scored six times.

“I’ve proved myself on the pitch and that’s what’s happened.”

The former Republic of Ireland international signed a twoyear deal last summer, but he revealed there was an agreement that Millwall would revisit the terms if his form merited it.

“I wouldn’t have got the contract I wanted if I hadn’t got the goals this season that I’ve got so far. Although I play out in wide positions and all

36

37

ŠMillwall FC

around the front my main target when I go on that pitch is to score goals and that’s what I’ve been doing so far.

“It’s always nice to know you’re wanted. It’s a nice thing to get that stability as a young kid of 22 still learning the game. It’s good that I’ve got another few years with a good club that backs me and I hope to see how I progress as a player.”

This time last year, O’Brien had made just five appearances for the first team and had yet to score his first senior goal for the club. He acknowledges the pace of his development since has taken him by surprise.

“It’s crazy,” O’Brien said, “It just shows me how much can change in one year. You can be playing with the reserves and not getting much time in the first team and then down the line you’re one of the first people on the teamsheet and scoring goals.

“Everything has gone right. I didn’t really expect it to happen this fast. I did expect it a couple of years ago, I thought I was ready but it didn’t quite happen for me.

“The gaffer has showed his belief in me as well and I’ve paid him back with goals.”

38

39

ŠMillwall FC

40

41

ŠMillwall FC

JED: I TURNED DOWN OTHER CLUBS BECAUSE MILLWALL “STOOD OUT”

By John Kelly

J

Wallace revealed he sought the opinions of some former Millwall players before making a decision, and the feedback he got left him in little doubt that he could flourish at The Den under the guidance of Harris.

ED Wallace said he ignored interest from a number of other clubs to sign for Millwall on loan from Wolves.

Wallace was handed his debut for the Lions last Saturday, making an immediate impression when he was involved in the move that led to Lee Gregory’s opening goal in the 2-1 Sky Bet League One win at Oldham.

Wallace explained: “Paul Robinson is a very good friend of mine and obviously has a massive reputations here, James Henry at Wolves and Ben Thatcher also, so there are a few players who’ve played here and had nothing but good things to say about the club.

The 21-year-old attacking midfielder was coveted by a host of clubs in the summer following consecutive seasons with Portsmouth in which he finished their top scorer.

“So I weighed up my options with potential places for me to go for a month and this was the one that stood out for me with the calibre of players and obviously a manager who’s trying to build for the future.”

There was plenty of interest in him again when his boss Kenny Jackett decided to send him out on loan in the hope that he will recapture the form he showed at Pompey after an injury-affected start to his career at Wolves.

It took Wallace less than three minutes at Boundary Park to

43

demonstrate why he is so highly rated. He ran onto Steve Morison’s pass to cross for Shane Ferguson before Gregory tucked away his 11th goal of the season.

“It was a good touch from Moro and I laid it back to Fergie and the rebound followed,” Wallace said. “It was difficult with the surface and the conditions but to contribute to a goal was a nice little start for me.”

Oldham equalised through Mike Jones’ free-kick, and Wallace revealed Harris had warned his players about conceding deadball opportunities to the opposition in dangerous areas of the pitch.

Wallace said: “I personally felt that the only way they were going to get back into the game was through a set-piece, and the guy puts the free-kick in the top corner. The manager had said to us at half-time that it was going to be the silly free-kicks we were

giving away that were going to cause us problems.

“I did think we were the much better team and their back four was running it back to their own goal panicking quite a lot.”

Wallace went off with 25 minutes left to appreciative applause from the 362 Millwall fans in the away end, and the midfielder is determined to make an impact in south London with Oxford the next challenge in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy area final on Thursday night.

“I enjoyed playing because they are all good players here and I’m looking forward to playing with them more now,” he added.

“To get 65 minutes was really good for me in terms of my fitness having not played for 10 to 12 weeks.

For me it’s just about improving as much as I can while I’m here and contributing to as many wins as I can.”

44

45 ŠMillwall FC

ŠMillwall FC

MILLWALL'S HARRIS HAPPY TO FINALLY HAVE WALLACE ON BOARD

By John Kelly

debut in the 2-1 win at Oldham on Saturday, playing a part in Lee Gregory’s opening goal when he burst down the right and picked out Shane Ferguson with a neat ball across the box.

EIL Harris admitted he missed out on signing Jed Wallace last summer as Millwall weren’t able to challenge Championship clubs for his signature.

N

On a soggy and energy-sapping pitch, he tired in the second period and was replaced with Aiden O’Brien in the 65th minute.

Wallace joined Wolves after a prolific campaign at Portsmouth when he scored 17 goals and was named in the League Two team of the season.

Harris was pleased with Wallace’s performance at Boundary Park.

The attacking midfielder picked up an injury during pre-season training, however, which limited his involvement with Kenny Jackett’s side to just seven appearances.

“He did well,” the Millwall manager said. “He’s a player who we’ve had our eye on for a period of time. We watched him last season quite a lot. Unfortunately we weren’t able to compete against Championship clubs in the summer.

Harris kept in contact with his former boss Jackett over the player’s possible availability, and clinched a 28-day loan deal for the 21-yearold on Friday.

“But we’ve monitored him and I’ve spoken to Kenny about him before. The time is good for him to get out and the timing is good for

Wallace made an eye-catching

47

us to be able to take him to give us a little bit of width and quality in the final third. It just gives us another dimension to our play and I was really pleased with his contribution.”

Harris revealed afterwards that O’Brien had been rested for the fixture. Steve Morison was taken off as a precaution before the area final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy against Oxford United on Thursday, while Harris also said that midfielder Jimmy Abdou, who was completing just his second 90 minutes since October, felt the effects of the difficult surface.

“I think the heavy pitch really caught up on us towards the end, we had some tired bodies, Jimmy as well.

Steve’s hamstring was cramping up,” Harris said. “He went into cramp when he scored the goal and it was important to try and get some fresh legs on.

“To get Jed past the hour mark was really pleasing. To be able to give Aiden a rest was really important to us. He’s needed that for a period of time. I’m pleased with that and also the fact that Lee Gregory came back into the starting line-up and scored so early in the game.

“All in all, it was a difficult game on a heavy pitch against a spirited side and I was pleased with contribution of the lads and the minutes that certain players got in.”

48

ŠMillwall FC

OLDHAM ATHLETIC Millwall

1 2

©MillwallFC

M

ILLWALL got their first win of 2016 as a goal from Lee Gregory and captain Steve Morison’s late header gave them a 2-1 win over a plucky Oldham side.

RAPID-FIRE START Millwall had fallen behind in six of their last nine fixtures in all competitions – and failed to rescue a win or even a draw from any of them.

Gregory put the away side in front in the second minute when he finished from close range, but Millwall failed to build on that lead as Oldham grew in confidence.

In fact, they hadn’t come from behind to win since the opening day of the season against Shrewsbury.

It looked like they needn’t worry about that statistic when they took the lead less than two minutes in, but they just seemed to drift through the rest of the first-half after that, perhaps feeling collecting three points against a side with one league win at home before the fixture would be a formality.

Mike Jones equalised when he fired a free-kick past David Forde just before the hour mark.

The Latics went close to taking the lead when Carl Winchester saw his shot from range parried away by the Lions goalkeeper.

Oldham were rocking and they could have conceded a second when Mark Beevers headed Jed Wallace’s corner back across goal but Gregory’s close-range effort was cleared off the line.

Oldham kept pouring forward but they were sucker-punched five minutes from time when Morison stooped to head home from Shane Ferguson’s cross.

But the home side got back into the game as much through Millwall failing to twist the knife as their

50

own initiative. The crowd were certainly roused as the half went on. Dominic Poleon on the left was their most dangerous player, testing Shaun Cummings with his pace and also keeping Forde alert.

The keeper had to come well off his line at one point to head the ball out for a corner after the former Leeds forward had snuck in behind the away defence.

Wolves.

Five seconds later he was springing down the right touchline and into space. He got his head up to spot Ferguson making a run to the back post. The Northern Ireland international’s low shot was well saved

by Coleman but Gregory was lurking six yards out to tuck away his 11th of the season. It was a dream start for the new boy.

Rhys Murphy saw a shot deflected away, Jake Cassidy tried an overhead kick that didn’t come off, and then centre-back Timothee Dieng ought to have done better than to head a corner wide when he had found time and space in the box.

Another cross moments later was too close to Coleman but Wallace looked full of confidence and was always eager to show for possession.

However, like his team, he faded as the game went on and was taken off shortly after Oldham had equalised. Any tiredness can be excused as he hadn’t played since October, but he showed enough in the opening moments to convince he could make an impact this month.

Neil Harris couldn’t have been happy with his side’s performance at the break and his mood would have darkened in the 59thminute when after Cummings had given away a foul on the edge of the box Jones fired his free-kick past a static Forde.

Oldham then didn’t look like a side without a league win in such a long time at Boundary Park and the momentum was firmly with them. Jonathan Forte came on to give them width on the left. Forde had to readjust his feet to tip the substitute’s cross-shot over the bar.

UP NEXT It’s been a miserable run of league form for Millwall since late November and into December. And it looked like it was carrying into the new year until Morison’s late goal.

Morison has been Millwall’s most consistent player for the last month and his work ethic merited a goal.

The home side’s confidence was underlined by their full-back’s forays into the Millwall half, with Cameron Dummigan especially prominent.

As at Barnsley, Forde was also crucial. His save to keep out Winchester’s second-half effort from outside the box that looked to be heading into the top corner was eye-catching and he was solid under crosses.

Forde hinted that Millwall were happy to settle for a point when he delayed a goal-kick and was booked.

But seconds later, totally against the run of play, Morison stole in on the blindside of the Oldham defence to nod Ferguson’s cross past Joel Coleman.

Byron Webster and Beevers also had to be really resolute under pressure from David Dunn’s side.

It was far from pretty, but Millwall maybe deserved a break after last week when they missed a host of chances. They’ll take it and at least they won’t have any baggage heading into the first leg of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy area final against Oxford.

NO WAITING ON WINGS FOR WALLACE The on-loan Wolves player went straight into the starting line-up after his move on Friday, replacing Fred Onyedinma who had been withdrawn at halftime at Barnsley last weekend. Wallace began on the right wing, and got his first touch of the ball after 60 seconds.

Oxford had some spies here, and won’t have seen anything to have them worrying all that much before their visit to The Den next Thursday.

Perhaps trying too hard, an attempted nutmeg through the legs of Daniel Lafferty didn’t come off but he was brave to dive into his first tackle, especially considering he’s had his injury problems at

51

52

CLASSIC NEWSATDEN

MATCH REPORTS FOUR YEARS AGO 18TH JANUARY 2012

MILLWALL HEND ERS O N

replay.

DAG & RED

7 ’, 5 9 ’, 6 3 ’ K A N E 4 1 ’ 6 5 ’

FORDE ROBINSON BARRON WARD SMITH TROTTER BOUAZZA FEENEY ABDOU HENDERSON KANE

M

5-0 30 4 5 29 41 19 21 24 37 43 9

1 5 16 18 21 6 8 15 26 7 37

ILLWALL ended a run of eight matches without a goal by thumping League Two Dagenham & Redbridge 5-0 in their FA Cup third round

LEWINGTON DOE ROSE ILESANMI SPILLANE OGOGO GREEN BINGHAM GREEN ABDULLA NURSE

Jackett’s men to get off the mark against a Daggers team who looked a shadow of the side that battled to a goalless draw in the initial cup tie 10 days ago. A miscued Harry Kane effort fell into the path of Henderson, whose deft touch and half turn gave him the space to slot home left-footed from 12 yards.

Darius Henderson came back into the Millwall starting line-up after missing the last two games with a hip injury to bag a hat-trick, the second of his Lions career.

Millwall went 2-0 up on 41 minutes after confusion in the Dagenham defence allowed Liam Trotter to pounce and play in Tottenham loanee Harry Kane, who

It took just seven minutes for Kenny 54

ŠNewsshopper

drilled home from 20 yards.

First, Henderson converted a 63rd-minute penalty to complete his hat-trick, before Kane buried a close-range header from Henderson’s cute knock-down.

The visitors made a bright start to the second half but the game was out of sight for the 542 travelling fans when Henderson got his second and Millwall’s third goal of the night. Influential youngster Kane played through Trotter who calmly squared the ball for Henderson to slot into an empty net.

Millwall will now face Southampton on January 28 in the fourth round.

Two more goals in the space of two minutes put the seal on a comfortable win.

55

LEAGUE ONE TABLE P W D L F A G D PT 1 B ur t o n A l bi on

24 1 6 3 5 32 1 9 1 3 51

2 Gillin g h a m

2 6 1 5 5 6 51 32 1 9 50

3 Wa ls a l l 24 14 6 4 40 22 18 48 4 C o v e n t r y C i t y 2 5 13 8 4 4 6 24 2 2 47 5 W iga n A t h l e t i c 2 5 1 2 8 5 38 24 1 4 44 6 P e t e r borou g h U n i t e d 2 5 1 2 4 9 52 38 1 4 40 7 So ut he n d U n i t e d 24 1 0 7 7 31 30 1 37 8 Sh e f f i e l d U n i t e d

24 1 0 6 8 39 34 5 36

9 Ro c h da l e 24 9 7 8 32 2 7 5 34 10 Millw a l l

24 1 0 4 1 0 36 34 2 34

1 1 D o n c a s t e r R ove r s 2 5 9 7 9 31 33 -2 34 1 2 B r a d for d C i t y 2 3 9 7 7 24 2 6 -2 34 13 P o r t Va l e 24 9 6 9 2 8 2 7 1 33

14 B ur y 24 9 6 9 33 37 -4 33 15

Sc unt h or p e U n i t e d

16 Swindon Tow n

2 5

9

5

11

28

31

-3

32

24 8 4 1 2 33 39 -6 28

17 B a r n s l e y 24 8 3 1 3 34 41 -7 27 18 C h e s t e r fi e l d

2 5 8 3 1 4 33 4 1 -8 27

19

F le e t w ood Tow n

24

7

5

12

32

34

-2

26

20

Sh re w s bu r y Tow n

2 5

7

5

1 3

31

42

-1 1

26

2 1 B lack p ool

24 7 4 1 3 2 1 33 -1 2 25

22

O ld h a m A t h l e t i c

2 3

3

12

8

2 5

36

-1 1

23

C o lche s t e r U n i t e d

2 5

5

6

14

34

59

-2 5 21

24 C re w e A l exa n dr a

21

24 5 5 1 4 2 3 4 4 -2 1 20 56

FIXTURES PORT VALE T HE DEN S UNDAY 1 7T H JA N UA RY

CHESTERFIELD PROACT STAD I UM S ATU RDAY 23 R D JA N UA RY

CREW E ALEXANDRA T HE DEN S ATU RDAY 3 0 T H JA N UA RY

W ALSALL B E SCOT STA D I UM S ATU RDAY 6TH FE B R UA RY

ROCHDALE SPOTL AND STA D I UM S ATU RDAY 1 3T H FE BR UA RY 57

PLAYER STATS LEAGUE ONE

Ap p

Sta r ts

Assi sts

Go als

D. F or de 8 7 0 0 J. Ar c h e r 1 8 1 8 0 0 S. Cu mmi n g s 1 3 1 2 1 1 T. Cr a i g 1 6 1 6 0 1 S. Ne l s on 6 6 0 0 M. B e e ve r s 24 24 1 4 B. We bs t e r 1 9 1 4 0 3 S. Fe r g u s on 2 3 1 3 6 2 M. R ome o 0 0 0 0 C . Pa r r 0 0 0 0 C . Edw a r ds 1 3 1 3 1 0 J. M a r t i n 1 3 1 3 0 2 S. Wi l l i a ms 2 2 2 2 2 2 E . U p s on 1 7 1 2 1 0 L . M a r t i n 8 2 1 0 J. P o w e l l 1 1 0 0 B. T homp s on 1 2 4 1 0 N. A bdou 1 2 1 1 0 1 J. P hi l p ot 0 0 0 0 K . Tw a r de k 0 0 0 0 G. S a vi l l e 1 2 1 2 0 0 P. Cow a n H a l l 3 0 0 0 L . G re g or y 2 2 1 6 1 5 F. O ny e di n ma 2 5 1 6 1 4 J. M a r q u i s 5 0 0 0 S. M or i s on 2 5 2 3 3 6 A. O ’ B r i e n 2 3 1 9 4 6 A. P a ve y 4 0 0 0 58

UNDER 21S AUGUST

ACADEMY ROUND-UP

Nottingham Forest (A) 3-1 (Pavey) Crewe Alexandra (H) 1-0 (Philpot)

LAST GAME

Charlton Athletic (A) 0-1 (Abandoned) (Romeo) Ipswich Town (H) 3-0 (Philpot, Pavey, Okenabirhie)

WOLVES 1-3 MILLWALL MFC GOALSCORERS:

SEPTEMBER Leeds United H 3-1 (Pavey 2, Wood)

ONYEDINMA, ROMEO, COWAN-HALL

Bolton Wanderers (A) 0-2 Coventry City (H) 4-1 (Wood, Pavey 3)

MILLWALL LINE UP:

Hull City (A) 0-0

OCTOBER

King

Plymouth Argyle (H) 1-0 (Wood)

Romeo

Huddersfield Town (H) 0-2 QPR (A) 0-4 (Eze 3, Ndjoli)

Chesmain

Colchester United (H) 1-0 (Wood)

Thompson Mbulu

NOVEMBER

Wood

Palace (H) 5-1 (Martin 2, Upson, Thompson, Powell)

Cowan-Hall

Swansea (A) 1-2 (Ndjoli 2)

Farrell

DECEMBER

Pavey

Brentford (H) 1-0 (Martin)

Onyedinma

Watford (A) 0-1 (Ndjoli)

Twardek

Wolves (A) 1-3 (Onyedinma, Romeo, Cowan-Hall)

JANUARY

Subs not used:

Cardiff City (H) 1-1 (Twardek)

Girling

TOP SCORERS: Alfie Pavey - 7 Keaton Wood / Mikael Ndjoli - 4 Lee Martin / Ebere Eze - 3

Parr Donovan Ndjoli 59

Eze

LAST SEVEN GAMES DAT E

8 - D e c -15

1 9-Dec-1 5

2 6-Dec-15

CO MP E T IT IO N

JP T

Lea g u e One

Lea g u e O ne

OPPO N E N T

S ou t h e n d ( A)

G i l l i ng ha m ( H )

Wa l sa l l (H)

RESU LT

0-2 W

0-3 L

0-1 L

G O AL K E E P E R

Archer

Archer

Ford e

DEFEN DE R S

E dw a r ds

Ed w a r d s

Ed w a r ds

We bs t e r

Web ster

Nel son

B e e ve r s

B eever s ( 8 2 )

B eevers

J Martin

J M a r ti n ( 4 6)

J M a r ti n (7 6)

U p s on

O’ B r i en

Onyedinm a (67 )

S a vi l l e

Sa vi l l e

Ab d ou

W i l l i a ms

Wi l l i a ms

Wi l l i a m s

O’ B r i e n ( 9 2 )

Up son ( 2 7)

Ferg u so n

M or i s on ( 7 1)

M ori son

M ori so n

G re g or y

G reg or y

O’ B r i en

S UB

For de

Ford e ( 2 7)

Ki ng

S UB

N e l s on ( 9 2 )

Nel son

Cu mmings

S UB

Fe r g u s on ( 7 1 )

Ferg u son ( 4 6)

Web ster

S UB

T h omp s on

Thomp son

Up son (67 )

S UB

P a ve y

Ab d ou

Sa vi l l e

L M a r ti n

Thomps o n

Onyed i nma ( 8 2 )

Pa vey (7 6)

M IDFIE L DE R S

AT TAC K E R S

S UB S UB

60

28-De c-1 5

2 -Ja n -16

9-J a n-1 6

1 4 -J a n-1 6

L eague O n e

L e a g u e On e

Lea g u e One

J PT

So u th e n d ( A)

Barnsley (A)

Ol d ha m ( A)

Ox for d Utd (H)

0-4 W

2 -1 L

1 -2 W

Fo rde

For de

Ford e

C u mmi n gs

E dw a r ds ( 6 8 )

Cu mmi ng s

We b ste r

We bs t e r

Web ster

B eevers

B e e ve r s

B eever s

J Mar tin

J Martin

J M a r ti n

O nye d in m a ( 87)

Ony e di n ma ( 4 6)

Wa l l a ce ( 65)

Sav ille

S a vi l l e

Ab d ou

Wi ll iams

W i l l i a ms

Wi l l i a ms

Upson

U p s on ( 4 6 )

Ferg u son

M oriso n ( 89)

M or i s on

M ori son ( 8 7)

O ’ Bri e n ( 81 )

O’ B r i e n

G reg or y ( 7 7)

Arch e r

Archer

Archer

Ne lso n

N e l s on

Nel son

Fe rg uson ( 87)

Fe r g u s on ( 4 6 )

Up son

Ab do u

A bdou ( 6 8 )

Thomp son

Th o m ps o n ( 81 )

T h omp s on

Onyed i nma ( 7 7)

Ph ilpo t

P h i l p ot

O’ B r i en ( 65)

Pavey (89)

G re g or y ( 4 6 )

M a rqu i s ( 8 7)

62

EDITORIAL NewsAtDen is the exclusive home of latest Millwall Football Club news, with the latest interviews, expert opinions, stats, graphics and much more.

For more information about NewsAtDen or to speak to us about this magazine, advertising opportunities and more, please contact josh@newsatden.co.uk

Thank you to all the people who have helped produce this magazine: FOUNDER / MANAGING DIRECTOR:

Chris Mullany FOUNDER / MANAGING DIRECTOR:

Kevin Quinn CHIEF SPORTS REPORTER:

Also, we would love to hear any suggestions you have for future editions of our magazine. Please get in touch.

John Kelly

Twitter: @newsatden

DESIGNER:

SPORTS REPORTER:

Jay Taylor

Josh French

Facebook: /newsatden IMAGES: Millwall FC, Brian Tonks, , Charlie Compitus, The Independant

Online: newsatden.co.uk NEWSATDEN IS PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY MATCHDAY MORNING

63

Created by

64