ISSUE
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AIDEN O'BRIEN
I WANT TO SCORE IN EVERY GAME I PLAY IN 1
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CONTENTS NEWS
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PREVIEW
MILLWALL’S O’BRIEN SAYS HE STILL HAS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
CREWE
OPINION
STATS
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THREE THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR
THE CLASS OF 2015-16 OUT AHEAD
FEATURE
NEWS
MILLWALL A TO Z
PLAYER PROFILE NEIL HARRIS
HARRIS PRAISES MILLWALL BOARD FOR BACKING SIGNING OF FERGUSON
MATCH REPORT
CHESTERFIELD 1
MILLWALL 2 3
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MILLWALL'S O'BRIEN SAYS HE STILL HAS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT By John Kelly
But the 22-year-old stresses there are areas of his game he wants to improve.
ILLWALL’s Aiden O’Brien isn’t bothered if he doesn’t finish as the club’s top scorer this season – and says winning is all that matters.
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“It’s my first proper season in the league and I’m playing on the left so that’s a slight disadvantage. It’s not the be-all and endall if I don’t end up top scorer,” O’Brien said. “I’d love to, but as long as we’re winning games that’s the main thing for me.
O’Brien scored his 11th goal of the season last weekend against Chesterfield (above), three behind Lee Gregory who got the winner at the Proact Stadium with his 14th this term. Steve Morison has chipped in with 10 goals to help the Lions up to sixth place in League One, a position they will be looking to consolidate with a win over Crewe this weekend.
“It’s another one ticked off for the season. It happened to be a header, which I’m happy with, because I know I need to work on them. “I’d say that it isn’t my strongest point, but my first (senior) goal was a header.
O’Brien scored a hat-trick the last time Millwall faced the Railwaymen, a 3-1 win at Gresty Road in September.
“I’ve got the height but it’s just the technique that I need to work on. But when I’m around
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the box, any way the ball comes to me I’m confident it’s going to go in.” Millwall were indebted to Jordan Archer for two excellent second-half stops as they won at Chesterfield for the first time in over 32 years, and O’Brien was full of praise for the former Tottenham goalkeeper. “He’s a great goalie and he’s one of our mates on the team,” O’Brien added. “I respect him on and off the pitch. He’s a great player to play with, train with and be around so I’m chuffed that he’s back in. He made two saves that helped us get three points.” Meanwhile, O’Brien gave a little insight into the mood within the squad and outlined his aims for the rest of the season. “There are a lot of jokers, and one of them would be me,” he said. “It’s always good to have a laugh, if it’s the right time. It’s work, there’s time to be serious and there’s time to have a little joke. “I’m just trying to put a goal away every game. If I put one away every game that’s beautiful for me. I just want to keep scoring. I want to score in every game I play in, that’s the way I am and will always be.”
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“THERE ARE A LOT OF JOKERS, AND ONE OF THEM WOULD BE ME,”
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PREVIEW:
CREWE ALEXANDRA By John Kelly
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Davis told The Sentinel: “Before the Bury game, I told the lads the result could depend on how well they dealt with their front two in one-v-ones. They had to play with their brains and not with their hearts, and I thought they did that.
EIL Harris could name the same starting XI for the third successive game as the Lions chase a fourth successive league win.
Millwall are sixth in League One and will be confident of consolidating their place in the play-off slots against a Crewe Alexandra side with a number of injury problems.
“It will be a similar game at Millwall, but we’re looking forward to it. We go there on the back of a couple of decent results. “We showed against Wigan we can play good football and create chances, and against Bury we showed the other side of our game when we dug in and battled our way to a good result.”
Harris has almost a full squad to choose from. Carlos Edwards will return to training next week, with Tony Craig the only other absentee. Jed Wallace plays his fifth game since his 28-day loan from Wolves and Harris is hoping that Kenny Jackett will sanction an extension of that deal.
Form guide (Last five league fixtures): Millwall: WLWWW Crewe: LLLDD Millwall record versus Crewe: W 11 D 9 L 12
Crewe haven’t won since November but draws against Wigan and Bury in their last two games indicates they are far from giving up the fight as they attempt to claw back a seven-point deficit to Shrewsbury in 20th place.
Sky Bet match odds: Millwall 4/11 Draw 19/5 Crewe 15/2 Probable Millwall team: 4-4-2:
They lost top scorer Ryan Colclough to Wigan this week and Lauri Dalla Valle, who scored in the 3-1 defeat to Millwall in September, is out until March.
Archer; Cummings, Webster, Beevers, Ferguson;
Boss Steve Davis is also without the injured Billy Bingham, Ryan Wintle, Harry Davis and George Ray but is hopeful their last two results will give them confidence at The Den.
Wallace, Abdou, Williams, O’Brien; Gregory, Morison.
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QUIET THROUGH THE WINDOW Given what we know about how Neil Harris has gone about restructuring the squad, this was never likely to be a busy transfer window. It may sound boring and repetitive (and NewsAtDen has asked him the question at least 20 times this season about potential targets) to constantly hear the same thing about only adding to the squad if a player is capable of improving it, but Harris has reiterated that policy consistently this season and Millwall have been consistent in implementing it. Given the scattergun approach to recruitment in recent seasons – 17 signed permanently in the last two seasons alone, only four of whom are still currently at the club – perhaps a pause for an intake of breath and a reconsideration of strategy was exactly what was needed.
THREE THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR By John Kelly
Recruitment this season has been solid rather than spectacular. Each player brought in permanently or on loan has added something significant to the squad this season. There has been no deadwood. There has been a purpose to recruitment with players signed who suit the style of play Harris wanted ti impose. Steve Morison’s late winner at Oldham when he nodded in Shane Ferguson’s cross was an illustration of philosopy and personnel dovetailing to get a result. We could also mention Jed Wallace’s long, deep cross to Lee Gregory for the opener against Port Vale as an example of mechanical synergy of style and the talent to implement it. Other clubs may be pushing the boat out slightly further. Wigan, for example, made a significant statement this week with the signing of one of the best midfielders in the league, Sam Morsy, and Crewe’s top scorer, Ryan Colclough. But then Coventry made their own eye-catching January acquisitions in Joe Cole, Stephen Hunt and Peter Ramage and yet, despite palpable supporter excitement, they are going through one of their more difficult spells this season. Millwall’s remaining transfer business this season will be conditioned by what happens with Wallace’s deal (as well as other variables;
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striker, but it would only have been as a back-up. With Morison, Gregory and O’Brien in such good form and Philpot eager for another first-team chance, it wouldn’t have made a whole lot of sense to sign someone to sit fifth in the pecking order. Harris is also an admirer of John Marquis, though he could go out on loan again.
George Saville was brought in temporarily when Ed Upson and Jimmy Abdou suffered injuries). The benefits of a smaller squad are clear, particularly in developing chemistry between players on the field and a general good team spirit off it. Ideally, Millwall will hope to keep Wallace for the rest of the season and then it will be a case of hoping that their most important players avoid injury. If they can then a place in the top six with the current squad is very much achievable.
LOAN TO PERMANENT TRANSITION There is a significant difference between playing for a club on loan and as a permanent member of the squad.
MILLWALL RELY ON FRONT TRIO, BUT PHILPOT COULD PROVIDE BOOST
On loan, if things are going badly there is the relative comfort of knowing you can go back. There is a different motivation – either trying to regain form to take back to the parent club or to attract interest from other clubs or to try to show you’re good enough to get a permanent deal with your temporary club.
Three of those players that Lions fans will have their fingers crossed stay fit are Morison, Gregory and Aiden O’Brien, who have scored 35 goals between them this season, 24 in the league. If they can maintain that form then Millwall should finish in at least the play-off places.
There is an element of an adventure about it. Ferguson moved from Newcastle to London and admitted to feeling a sense of excitement about the buzz of the city. Staying in a new apartment, visiting the tourist attractions, eating out in new places with new people.
The flipside of relying on three regular goalscorers is that an injury to one or more of those players could have serious repercussions for the promotion challenge.
A lot of that changes once a player gets a permanent deal. Some are naturally motivated but some might need to replace being motivated by uncertainty about their career with something else.
Apart from the goals, each player provides specific qualities that are key to how the team play. There are few players who win a higher percentage of headers in League One than Morison, who is also a key part of how Millwall defend corners.
There are different pressures off the pitch: Finding a permanent place to live, maybe relocating partners or families who then have to settle in a new home.
Lee Gregory, for all the criticism he has shipped about the chances he has missed, has sharp positional sense and will keep getting into goalscoring areas. O’Brien gives the side that relentless confidence as well as a scoring threat from out wide.
None of that is specifically with reference to Ferguson but they are all issues that will likely confront him.
Jamie Philpot is a player Lions fans got a glimpse of (for all of eight minutes) in the first team last season.
But given this is the first real, consistent run of firstteam football he’s had in his career, at 24, and given how quickly he settled and made an impact, and how well-suited he looks to Millwall’s style and philosophy, all the signs are this will be an astute piece of business by Harris.
He has had two major injury setbacks since he made his debut and scored against Wolves on the last day of 2014-15, but he is a player the club thinks has huge potential. There were discussions about signing another
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Millwall are looking for a fourth successive league win for the first time since November, 2012.
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Stat's that... BY JOHN KELLY
32 1948 3-1
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Millwall and Crewe have met on 32 occasions, with the Railwaymen edging out the Lions, 12 victories to 11, with nine draws.
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The first meeting between the two sides was in the FA Cup second round on December 11, 1948. The Lions lost 3-2 on that occasion.
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The most recent fixture between Millwall and Crewe was at Gresty Road on September 12, 2015 – the score on that occasion was 3-1 to Neil Harris’ side. Aiden O’Brien scored his first professional hat-trick in that game.
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Millwall’s biggest margin of victory over Crewe is two goals which they have achieved five times – four 2-0 wins and one 3-1 win.
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Crewe’s biggest margin of victory over Millwall is 4-1, which they have achieved twice, in November 1958 and in November 1959.
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Ryan Colclough is Crewe’s leading goalscorer this season with eight goals – but they sold him this week to title chasers Wigan. Millwall currently sit sixth in the League One table on 43 points, 17 places and 21 points better off than Steve Davis’ outfit, who are down in 23rd place. The Lions also boast a goal difference that is 28 better than Crewe’s. (Millwall: +6; Crewe: -22). Millwall are looking for a fourth successive league win for the first time since November, 2012. Millwall have the exact same number of points (43) and are in the exact same league position (sixth) as at the same stage of the 2009-10 season when they won promotion. The Lions have 55,900 followers on Twitter. Crewe have 27,000.
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THE CLASS OF 2015-16 OUT AHEAD By @Millwall_Stats
FTER pulling the plug on their academy in 2008, Millwall announced plans to reorganise their youth football structure four years later.
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The investment went ahead to upgrade the youth set-up from a centre of excellence to a Category Two academy. Chief executive Andy Ambler said
at the time that the move “would improve (Millwall’s) chances of attracting, developing and bringing talented youngsters through into our first team, making us better equipped to compete with our rivals who may have greater resources to spend in the transfer market.” Fast forward four years and how have those aims translated to the first team? We got @Millwall_Stats to crunch the numbers for us…
2010-2011 (121 appearances by academy players in total)
Five players who came through the club’s youth system made firstteam appearances: Alan Dunne, Paul Robinson, Tony Craig, Kiernan Hughes-Mason and John Marquis. The five made a combined 121 appearances across the season (all competitions), an average of 24.2 each. The five contributed eight goals.
2011-2012 (128)
Five players who came through the club’s youth system made firstteam appearances: Alan Dunne, Paul Robinson, Tony Craig, John Marquis and Aiden O’Brien. They played a combined total of 128 games, an average of 25.6 games per player. They chipped in with two goals.
2012-2013 (45)
Three players who came through the club’s youth system made firstteam appearances: Alan Dunne, Paul Robinson and John Marquis. The three only managed 45 games in total, an average of 15 games each. They scored two goals between them that season.
2013-2014 (66)
Four players who came through the club’s youth system made firstteam appearances: Alan Dunne, Paul Robinson, John Marquis and Fred Onyedinma. The four youth team products made a total of 66 appearances (an average of 16.5 between them), but none of them managed to score.
2014-2015 (91)
Seven players who came through the club’s youth system made firstteam appearances: Alan Dunne, Fred Onyedinma, Aiden O’Brien, Jack Powell, John Marquis, Sid Nelson and Jamie Philpot. The seven played an average of 13 games each, chipping in with five goals.
2015-16 (130*)
This season, so far, nine academy graduates have made a total of 130 appearances in the first team, 14.4 each. Tony Craig, Fred Onyedinma, John Marquis, Sid Nelson, Aiden O’Brien, Jack Powell, Ben Thompson, Alfie Pavey and Noah Chesmain have contributed 17 goals. *Up to January 29, 2016 17
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IS FOR CROSSING THE OCEAN By Mark Litchfield
Complete with Lion tattoo on his arm, Bircham moved to QPR in 2002, making over 150 appearances for the west London outfit, before ending his playing career at Yeovil Town in 2009. After heading back to Loftus Road to work as a coach (and briefly as a caretaker manager), the Canadian came back to The Den in 2014 as Ian Holloway’s assistant. We all know how that ended...
S ‘The A-Z of Millwall’ rolls on, it’s time to take a look at those who have ‘crossed the ocean’ to continue their careers at The Den.
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Whether it’s Canada or the United States of America, the Lions have had some successful players from ‘across the pond’. Despite being born in Brent, Marc Bircham earned 17 caps for Canada, courtesy of a Winnipeg-born grandparent. The midfielder made 121 appearances for Millwall, scoring 4 goals in the process; the most memorable coming against Notts County at the beginning of the 2000/01 Second Division title winning season, as ‘Birch’ fired home an injury time winner from 25 yards out, as the Lions won 4-3.
In 2004, after a pre-season tour of Canada, Dennis Wise completed the double signing of Adrian Serioux and Josh Simpson from Toronto Lynx and Boulder Rapids Reserve respectively, as the club looked to bolster their options for a possible UEFA Cup run, after reaching the FA Cup Final the previous season. Simpson excited the home 19
crowd with his pace and electric wing play, but it was to be Serioux that would provide the biggest talking point during his home debut against Leicester City, as his long throw – from the halfway line, to be exact – reached the six-yard box with ease, allowing Jody Morris to turn the ball home.
played in the last season at the Old Den, the American became the first Millwall player to score at the new ground, opening the scoring in a friendly against Sporting Lisbon; Bobby Robson’s side had travelled over to rise the curtain on the new ground. Another American to have played for Millwall is Zak Whitbread. Signed from Liverpool in 2006, the blonde-haired defender went on to make 119 appearances for the Lions, scoring 4 goals. After a number of dazzling displays, Whitbread moved to Norwich City in 2009, as the club failed to win promotion to the Championship, losing 3-2 in the League One play-off final to Scunthorpe United.
Both lasted a couple of seasons at the club before moving on to pastures new. As far as Americans go, the most famous to have pulled on the shirt is goalkeeper, Kasey Keller. Signed from Portland University in February 1992, Keller went on to make 202 appearances (in some very questionable goalkeeping strips) before moving on to Leicester City in 1996.
Are there any others you can think of? Let us know!
Making history as the first ever ‘keeper to play at The ‘New’ Den, Keller also registered a whopping 102 caps for his country, becoming a fans favourite in south London and the USA, before hanging up his gloves in 2011. Another American made history at The Den in its inaugural season; John Kerr. After a career that had seen him travel from Wycombe Wanderers to the San Diego Sockers and from Linfield to Boulogne-SurMer, Kerr arrived in SE16 from Chertsey Town in 1993. Having
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IS FOR DEFENDERS By Mark Litchfield
HE Lions have produced some special defenders in their history.
a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa in August 1988, as the Lions embarked on life in the top tier following promotion from Division Two the previous season.
There are so many that can be brought to mind immediately; Nicky Coleman, Colin Cooper, Harry Cripps, Dave Donaldson, Alan Dorney, Andy Frampton, John Gilchrist, Charlie Hurley, Alex Jardine, Barry Kitchener, Matt Lawrence, Alan McLeary, Robbie Ryan, Keith Stevens, Darren Ward, Tommy Wilson – the list could (and does) go on forever.
Becoming a fans favourite through his attacking play (as well as defensive), the full-back was involved in memorable nights, such as the wins over Arsenal and Chelsea in FA Cup replays in the 1994/95 season. Signing for just £150,000 from QPR, Dawes ended his Millwall career after ‘that’ night at Stamford Bridge – complete with Player of the Year trophy in the 1989/90 season.
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However, for the purposes of this A-Z, I have picked a ‘fantasy’ back four to focus on.
Occupying the first centre-back position is the current club captain, Tony Craig.
At left-back, it’s Ian Dawes. Spending seven seasons at The Den, Dawes made 268 appearances, with the first coming in
Now in his third spell with the Lions, ‘TC’ is presently sidelined through injury, but will hope to 21
be fully recovered towards the end of the season. After coming through the youth ranks, the converted centre-back (he started his career at left-back) made his Millwall debut at Nottingham Forest in the penultimate game of the 2002/03 season. The following week saw Craig score the first goal of his career in his first match at The Den, as the Lions defeated Coventry City 2-0.
sixth-highest appearance holder, Alan Dunne. Spending some 23 years of his life at The Den, ‘Dunney’ racked up a total of 387 appearances, notching 23 goals in the process – one for each year, some might say! Like Tony Craig, Dunne made his way through the youth ranks at Millwall, before making his debut in a 3-2 defeat at Sheffield United on March 19th, 2002. He remained a bit-part player for the next couple of campaigns, but began to feature more regularly under the stewardship of Dennis Wise in the 2004/05 season.
Not one to shirk a tackle, Craig quickly endeared himself to the Den faithful with a string of committed performances and a little over 250 appearances later, the feeling remains. If the Lions had eleven Tony Craig’s in their starting line-up, passion and loyalty wouldn’t be an issue – suspensions would be, however!
The Irishman’s first full season resulted in relegation in 2005/06, but through adversity and abuse, the defender remained committed to the cause, playing a major part in the Lions’ resurgence in the 2009/10 season, as they won promotion back to the Championship via the League One playoff final.
Alongside Craig is Stuart Nethercott. Joining on loan (initially – the deal was made permanent weeks later) from Tottenham Hotspur in 1998, ‘Nethers’ quickly established himself as the clubs first choice centre-back, securing the captaincy soon after and having the honour of skippering the side to its 2000/01 Second Division title win.
Dunne’s Lions career finally came to an end in the summer of 2015, as Neil Harris released the defender, before he was snapped up by Leyton Orient for the 2015/16 season. His book, ‘Dunne It The Hard Way’ will be released in March and will surely be a must-read for all fans.
After 242 appearances and 10 goals, Nethercott was sold to Wycombe Wanderers in 2004, where he stayed for a couple of years before finishing his playing days in non-league. At
right-back
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Tune in next week to see what features as E & F in ‘The A-Z of Millwall’!
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HARRIS PRAISES MILLWALL BOARD FOR BACKING SIGNING OF FERGUSON By John Kelly
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ILLWALL boss Neil Harris said Shane Ferguson showed “real desire” to join the club on a permanent deal from Newcastle United. us over the course of a loan spell.
Ferguson put pen to paper on an 18-month contract with the Lions this week after his loan spell came to an end following the 2-1 win over Chesterfield last Saturday.
“He’s also shown a real desire to want to be with us as a football club and he’s a young lad that for his future development needs to be playing games regularly.
Harris also praised the board for backing the signing of the Northern Ireland international and said it is a “fantastic bit of business” for the club.
“He’s coming to us to get that opportunity. In our opinion he’s got a huge amount of development in him.
Millwall had negotiated a twoweek extension to his initial loan deal while they attempted to thrash out terms with the player and his representatives.
“In terms of games he’s a very young man. He’s got an ambition to play in the European Championships in the summer with a view to having a long and successful career.
That was brought to a successful conclusion on Tuesday, and Harris was thrilled to finally tie the player to Millwall on a permanent basis.
“I believe it’s a fantastic bit of business. Our board have given us the opportunity to buy a player at a good age and we continue with a theme of putting together a developing squad that’s going to grow together.”
“He’s a great addition to the squad,” Harris said. “He’s shown his quality and his ability in two positions for 25
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E R U AT
E F NEW
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P LAYER PROF I L E :
N EIL HARRIS By Mark Litchfield
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ROM city banker to Millwall manager via non-league, beating cancer and becoming the clubs all-time record goal-scorer; Neil Harris has had quite the career. and eighteen years later, Harris is the man charged with managing the Lions, as they look to make their stay in League One extremely brief.
If the TV show ‘Family Fortunes’ surveyed a hundred Millwall fans, asking them to associate one name synonymous with the clubs history, Harris would be right up there with Barry Kitchener, Terry Hurlock, Harry Cripps and so on.
After a few appearances at the back end of the 1997/98 season, Harris found the net for the first time in a Millwall shirt on September 19th, 1998, as the Lions defeated Northampton Town 2-0. In his first full season, the Orsett-born striker netted 15 times as the club finished 10th in the old Division Two.
If 138 goals in 431 appearances doesn’t seal your spot in the all-time greats list, then how about beating testicular cancer and returning to the field to carry on your career; how about scoring goals galore against your closest rivals, Crystal Palace and West Ham, over the years; how about steering the club away from oblivion and putting it on the brink of a possible return to the Championship at the first attempt in your first full year of management? The list goes on.
The 1999/2000 campaign saw the Lions cruelly lose out in the play-offs to Wigan Athletic, but the year saw ‘Bomber’ stamp his authority in the number nine shirt, scoring 25 times, including his first hat-trick away to Brentford on April 15th.
In 1998, Bob Pearson (Millwall’s scout at the time) recommended a young Cambridge City striker to then manager, Billy Bonds. £30,000
With interest from higher up beginning to materialise, under Mark McGhee, the pressure was on for the club to gain promotion and to
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hold on to their stars – Harris was not the only young gun blooming; so to were the likes of Tim Cahill, Richard Sadlier and wing duo, Stephen Reid and Paul Ifill.
With McGhee’s Lions flying high, they travelled to Watford to open up the year. With the team 3-1 up and cruising, the manager decided to give Harris a short run out at the end of the game. However, in injury-time, the striker picked up the ball deep in his own half and ran... and ran... and ran... and ran, until he reached the corner of the Hornets’ penalty box.
With 27 goals – including three hattricks – Harris topped the charts, along with Reading striker, Jamie Cureton, as Millwall romped to the Division Two title in 2001. Such was the strikers ruthlessness in front of goal, as the Lions sat four goals to the good against Oldham Athletic on the final day of the season and with a penalty in the dying embers of the match, Harris snatched the ball away from Paul Moody (on a hat-trick) to convert the spot-kick and score his 27th of the season.
Cutting inside onto his right foot - as was customary - Harris curled a beautiful strike past the ‘keeper, giving Millwall an unassailable 4-1 lead. However, the fact the Lions had just gone 4-1 up didn’t matter. What mattered was that Neil Harris had scored his first goal since his comeback; a comeback he and all Millwall fans probably thought he’d never make.
With the striker on the top of the world, news broke that summer that Harris had testicular cancer. Of course, the first two questions to come out his mouth were ‘will I live?’ and ‘will I ever play football again?’ At the time, no definitive answers could be given, but one thing was for sure; Neil’s fighting spirit and outstanding attitude on the pitch would stand him in good stead to fight against the disease.
The 3,289 fans in the away end exploded into raptures; some were in tears for example, me – whilst some busted a gut to enter the playing area to celebrate. What followed was a moment that I’m sure the vast majority of fans will remember as one of the greatest every single member of the side, Tony Warner included, raced to the corner of the pitch, lofted Harris high into the air and paraded him in front of the Lions’ faithful. Neil Harris was back.
Luckily, the cancer had been caught early, hadn’t spread and Neil was able to have an operation to remove the testicle. After a bout of treatment, Harris was given the all-clear and could concentrate on football once again.
Bomber added another four goals to his tally in a season that ended in devastating fashion, as Stern John’s injury-time strike sent Birmingham City into the Division One play-off final at the Lions’ expense, with the following two campaigns producing a further 21 goals, as Teddy Sheringham’s all-time goalscoring record began to come into view.
After attempting a minor – but too soon - comeback early in the 2001/02 season, Bomber fully returned to action on December 8th at Sheffield Wednesday. Yet, nearly one month later, on New Years Day 2002, came his finest hour. 30
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After falling out with Dennis Wise after the FA Cup Final, Harris began to play a bit-part role in the 2004/05 season, scoring his final goal of his first spell at The Den in a 2-2 draw with Cardiff City, equalling Sheringham’s league tally in the process.
The hat-tricks continued in the 2009/10 season; a trio against AFC Bournemouth in the League Cup was backed up by another treble against Stockport County later in the campaign, as the Lions won promotion back to the Championship by defeating Swindon Town in the League One play-off final.
A relatively unsuccessful and unhappy spell at Nottingham Forest was sandwiched in between loan spells at Cardiff City and Gillingham, as Harris looked to carve a life away from SE16, but in January 2007, Willie Donachie brought the striker back home – he didn’t waste any time, scoring 16 minutes into his second home debut against Rotherham, becoming the alltime goal-scorer in the league in the process. His sights were now set on breaking Sheringham’s all-time record.
The 2010/11 season was Harris’ last as a Millwall player, with his 138th and final goal coming in a 2-1 defeat at Reading on February 22nd and his 431st appearance wrapping up his Lions career at Barnsley on the final day. After moving back across the water to Southend for two years, Bomber returned to his spiritual home in 2013 to coach the Under-21’s, before being thrust back into the limelight following the sacking of Steve Lomas on Boxing Day, 2014. Along with Scott Fitzgerald, Harris steadied the ship, making way for Ian Holloway. You don’t need me to tell you what happened from there!
A paltry three goals in 2007/08 did little to edge Harris towards the target, but nine goals the following season saw him break the record, most notably with a strike at Crewe in the FA Cup. The striker continued to add to his record-breaking tally, especially in an afternoon that saw him roll back the years, as a ten-minute hat-trick turned a game on its head against Hartlepool United, as the Lions won 3-2, gaining three precious points in their chase for a play-off spot.
There have been many great players to grace the Den turf over the years. Every single fan will have differing opinions on who the greatest truly is. But, ask yourself this – where would Millwall be without Neil Harris?
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O'BRIEN SAYS MILLWALL SHOULD AIM HIGHER THAN SIXTH By John Kelly
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showed strength, we showed faith that we were going to come back and we did.
IDEN O’Brien believes Millwall shouldn’t settle for a top-six place in League One and must look to climb higher.
“It’s always hard to go away from home and get a result, especially at the business end of the season.
Millwall claimed three points from a losing position at Chesterfield on Saturday, the first time they had come from behind to win since the opening day of the season in August.
“But we have strong-minded players, players who always egg each other on. We’ve got a lot of team players who want to win. There’s always time to score, even if there’s 90 minutes on the clock, we never lose faith.
O’Brien, with his 11th goal of the season, cancelled out Sam Morsy’s opener, before Lee Gregory scored the winner.
“We need to do everything we can to stay in the top six. We’re not going to drop, we need to go up and up.
The result moved Millwall up to sixth place in the table, at least until the midweek fixtures, 11 points off second place.
“With our team, even the ones on the bench or not in the squad, we’re all good enough to be in the top six and good enough to go up, I believe.”
“That just shows the work rate and desire we have as a Millwall team, we never lose faith,” O’Brien said. “We go behind to a great strike from the lad but we
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cross to divert the ball past Archer.
ILLWALL came from a goal down to record a third successive win in Sky Bet League One for the first time this season.
Archer was the busier keeper, getting down low to save O’Shea’s volley.
It was also the first time the Lions came from behind to claim three league points since the opening day 2-1 win at Shrewsbury Town.
Millwall were in front two minutes into the second half, Lee Gregory racing into the area to prod past Lee for his 14th goal of the season.
Chesterfield went into a deserved lead in the 25th minute when midfielder Sam Morsy fired low past Jordan Archer from 20 yards.
Archer came to Millwall’s rescue twice midway through the half when he kept out Morsy and then produced a point-blank stop from substitute Byron Harrison’s header.
Millwall were level two minutes later when after a couple of half-hearted appeals for a penalty following Shaun Williams’ corner, Aiden O’Brien got his 11th of the season when he headed Shane Ferguson’s cross past Tommy Lee.
At the other end Steve Morison just failed to make it three when his shot from inside the box deflected up and onto the crossbar. JEKYLL AND HYDE LIONS No one seems to be able to quite put a finger on why Millwall have been so inconsistent this season.
Chesterfield were much the better side in the first half with Sylvan Ebanks-Blake going close but just failing to get enough of a touch on Jay O’Shea’s
38
Before Saturday’s game they hadn’t drawn any of their last 15.
position in the second period, but he was still a threat from outside the box and Archer pulled off a superb save when he got down low to his left to save the midfielder’s shot and then sprung to his feet to prevent the ball rolling over the line.
It was slightly easier to pinpoint why Chesterfield were so dominant in the opening 45 minutes. Morsy, so impressive this season, was given too much space to dictate the tempo of the game.
He pulled off an even better save when O’Shea got to the endline to pull the ball back for Harrison who was left holding his head in his hands as Archer scrambled the ball away.
He had already gone close to opening the scoring when he picked up the ball outside the box in the 13th minute, took aim and whizzed a right-footed shot wide of Archer’s left-hand post.
The goalkeeper has been excellent since regaining his first-team place.
The other principal problem was just how easily Millwall were giving the ball away. That carelessness was dangerous with O’Shea, Lee Novak and Ebanks-Blake all looking sharp. From one passage of play the away side lost the ball in midfield and Ebanks-Blake immediately swept a pass to Novak.
WHAT’S NEXT? For all the head-scratching about Millwall’s inconsistency a win in the home fixture against Crewe next weekend would make it four league wins in a row.
His chip over Archer had the crowd on their feet but there was disappointment when the ball fell on the outside of the side netting.
Then they are just 90 minutes away from an April Wembley appearance when they travel to Oxford the following Tuesday.
Moments later Chesterfield went ahead when Morsy again picked up possession under little pressure from outside the box to fire past Archer.
And given the season so far no one would put it past them or be all that surprised were they to go there and rescue the tie.
Chesterfield had 62 percent possession up to that point and while that isn’t always an accurate indicator, they were creating by far the better chances. Lee had had little to do until the 27th minute when he must have wondered how it was he was picking the ball out of the net given his side’s dominance. HALF-TIME HAIRDRYER? And as if to drive home that point, and sum up the nature of Millwall’s season, the away side were ahead with less than two minutes gone in the second half. There seemed little danger when Archer launched a free-kick long but suddenly Gregory was bursting onto Jed Wallace’s pass into space in the box and he reached the ball first to toe-poke past Lee. There was also a little moment after that goal that probably hinted at Neil Harris’ displeasure at the break. When Morsy rolled on the deck after being kicked by Gregory it was easy to imagine what the half-time instructions had been. ©MillwallFC
Millwall were much more diligent about Morsy’s
39
LEAGUE ONE TABLE P W D L F A G D PT
1 B ur t o n A l bi on 2 7 18 3 6 36 21 1 5 57 2 Gilling h a m 2 8 1 6 6 6 55 35 2 0 54
3 Wa ls a l l 2 7 1 5 8 4 4 5 2 6 1 9 53 4
W iga n A t h l e t i c
28
1 3
10
5
4 5
2 9
1 6
49
5 C o v en t r y C i t y 2 8 1 3 9 6 47 30 1 7 48
6 Millw a l l 2 7 1 3 4 10 4 3 37 6 43 7 Sh e f f i e l d U n i t e d 2 8 1 1 9 8 4 5 39 6 42 8 P e t e rborou g h U n i t e d 2 8 1 2 5 1 1 53 4 1 1 2 41 9 So ut h e n d U n i t e d 2 7 11 8 8 36 34 2 41
10 P o r t Va l e 2 8 11 7 10 33 32 1 40 1 1 B r a d for d C i t y
2 6 1 0 8 8 2 6 2 8 -2 38
12 B ur y 2 7 10 7 10 36 40 -4 37
13 B a r n s l e y 2 7 11 3 1 3 44 42 2 36 14 Do n c a s t e r R ove r s 2 8 9 9 1 0 34 37 -3 36 15
Swindon Tow n
2 7
1 0
5
12
42
4 5
-3
35
16
Sc unt h or p e U n i t e d
2 7
10
5
12
31
36
-5
35
17 Ro c h da l e 2 6 9 7 10 35 36 -1 34
18 B la ck p ool 2 8 8 6 14 2 7 35 -8 30 19 C h e s t e r fi e l d
2 8 9 3 1 6 38 4 8 -1 0 30
20
28
Sh re w s bu r y Tow n
8
5
1 5
33
47
-1 4 29
2 1 F le e t w ood Tow n 2 6 7 7 1 2 33 35 -2 28 22 O ld h a m A t h l e t i c
2 7 4 1 2 1 1 2 7 4 0 -1 3 24
2 3 C re w e A l exa n dr a
2 7 5 7 1 5 2 7 4 9 -2 2 22
24
28
C o lc h e s t e r U n i t e d
40
5
7
1 6
36
65
-2 9 22
FIXTURES CREW E ALEXANDRA T HE DEN S ATU RDAY 3 0 T H JA N UA RY
OXFORD UNITED T HE K AS SAM STAD I UM TUESDAY 2N D FE BR 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
SCUNTHORPE UNITED T HE DEN TUESDAY 1 6T H FE B R UA RY 41
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 2 0 2 0 0 0 S. Cu mmi n g s 1 5 1 4 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 2 6 2 6 1 4 B. We bs t e r 2 1 1 6 0 3 S. Fe r g u s on 2 5 1 5 6 2 M. R ome o 0 0 0 0 J. Wa l l a c e 3 3 2 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 24 24 2 2 E . U p s on 1 8 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 4 1 3 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 24 1 8 1 8 F. O ny e di n ma 2 6 1 6 1 4 J. M a r q u i s 6 0 0 0 S. M or i s on 2 7 2 5 3 7 A. O ’ B r i e n 2 5 2 1 4 8 A. P a ve y 4 0 0 0 42
UNDER 21S AUGUST Nottingham Forest (A) 3-1 (Pavey)
ACADEMY ROUND-UP
Crewe Alexandra (H) 1-0 (Philpot) Charlton Athletic (A) 0-1 (Abandoned) (Romeo)
LAST GAME
Ipswich Town (H) 3-0 (Philpot, Pavey, Okenabirhie)
PALACE 3-3 MILLWALL
SEPTEMBER
MFC GOALSCORERS:
Leeds United H 3-1 (Pavey 2, Wood) Bolton Wanderers (A) 0-2
POWELL, ONYEDINMA, TWARDEK
Coventry City (H) 4-1 (Wood, Pavey 3) Hull City (A) 0-0
MILLWALL LINE UP:
OCTOBER Plymouth Argyle (H) 1-0 (Wood)
King
Huddersfield Town (H) 0-2
Romeo
QPR (A) 0-4 (Eze 3, Ndjoli)
Chesmain
Colchester United (H) 1-0 (Wood)
Thompson (Farrell, 68’) NOVEMBER
Nelson
Palace (H) 5-1 (Martin 2, Upson, Thompson, Powell)
Wood
Swansea (A) 1-2 (Ndjoli 2)
Onyedinma DECEMBER
Powell
Brentford (H) 1-0 (Martin)
Marquis
Watford (A) 0-1 (Ndjoli)
Philpot
Wolves (A) 1-3 (Onyedinma, Romeo, Cowan-Hall)
Twardek JANUARY Cardiff City (H) 1-1 (Twardek)
Subs not used:
Charlton (A) 1-1 (Marquis)
Girling
Palace (A) 3-3 (Powell, Onyedinma, Twardek)
Parr TOP SCORERS: Alfie Pavey - 7 Keaton Wood / Mikael Ndjoli - 4 Lee Martin / Ebere Eze - 3
Ndjoli Eze 43
LAST SEVEN GAMES DATE
2 6 - D e c -15
2 8 -Dec-1 5
2 -J a n-1 6
C O 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
O PPO N E N T
Wa l s a l l ( H )
Sou thend ( A)
B a r nsl ey (A )
RES ULT
0 -1 L
0 -4 W
2 -1 L
GOAL K E E P E R
For de
For d e
Ford e
DEF E N DE R S
E dw a r ds
Cu mmi ng s
Ed w a r ds (68)
N e l s on
Web ster
Web ster
B e e ve r s
B eevers
B eever s
J M a r t i n ( 7 6)
J M a r ti n
J M a r ti n
Ony e di n ma ( 67)
Onyed i nma ( 8 7)
Onyed i nm a (46)
A bdou
Sa vi l l e
Sa vi l l e
W i l l i a ms
Wi l l i a ms
Wi l l i a m s
Fe r g u s on
Upson
Up son (46)
M or i s on
M or i son ( 8 9)
M ori son
O’ B r i e n
O’ B ri en ( 8 1 )
O’ B r i en
SUB
King
Ar cher
Archer
SUB
C u mmi n g s
Nel son
Nel son
SUB
We bs t e r
Fer g u son ( 8 7)
Ferg u so n (46)
SUB
U p s on ( 6 7 )
Ab d ou
Ab d ou (68)
SUB
S a vi l l e
Thompson ( 8 1 )
Thomp s o n
SUB
T h omp s on
Phi l p ot
Phi l pot
SUB
P a ve y ( 7 6 )
Pa vey ( 8 9)
G reg or y (46)
MIDFIE L D E RS
AT TAC K E RS
9 -Jan-16
14 -Ja n -16
1 7-J a n-1 6
2 3-J a n-1 6
Le ag ue O n e
JP T
Lea g u e One
Lea g u e O ne
O ldh am (A)
Oxfor d U t d ( H )
Por t Va l e ( H )
Chester field (A )
1-2 W
0-2 L
3-1 W
1 -2 W
F o rd e
For de
Ar cher
Archer
C ummi n gs
C u mmi n g s
Cu mmi ng s
Cu mmi ngs
Webste r
We bs t e r
Web ster
Web ster
Be e v e rs
Be e ve r s
B eevers
B eever s
J Mar tin
J Martin (64)
Fer g u son
Ferg u son (7 6)
Wallace (65)
Wa l l a c e
Wa l l a ce ( 63)
Wa l l a ce (63)
Abdou
A bdou
Ab d ou
Ab d ou
W i lliams
W i l l i a ms ( 7 8 )
Wi l l i a ms
Wi l l i a ms
Fe rguson
Fe r g u s on
O’ B ri en ( 8 8 )
O’ B r i en (7 8)
M oriso n (8 7 )
M or i s on
M or i son
M ori son
G reg o r y (7 7)
G re g or y ( 8 5 )
G reg or y ( 8 8 )
G reg or y (88)
A rcher
Archer
For d e
Ford e
N e l so n
N e l s on
Nel son
Nel son
Upso n
U p s on ( 7 8 )
J M a r ti n
J M a r ti n (7 6)
T h omps o n
Ony e di n ma ( 85)
Thompson
Thomp son
O nye d in m a ( 7 7 )
O’ Br i e n ( 6 4 )
Upson ( 63)
Up son ( 7 8)
O ’Bri e n (65)
Onyed i nma ( 8 7)
Onyed i nm a (88)
M arqu is (8 7 )
Marquis (88)
M a rqu i s
46
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