Millwall Ten Game Round Up Or School Report

Must try harder

I am sure that's not correct.  I do not think for one second that the team and Neil Harris are not putting in the shifts on the pitch on match days or on the training ground in the week. They are grafting hard and although they have like us experienced moral sapping defeats and basic hard luck they have kept plugging away and had some excellent away wins and at long last recently experienced their first league home win. A recent away draw at big spending Wigan following on from the first home win has set us up nicely for a decent run or seeing it's Millwall probably something that's going to fetch us back down to earth. There will be gloom before the seasons out as this young team and Neil Harris will make mistakes but it's how you cope with these lows be it the team, be it Neil Harris or be it ourselves. We must no dwell and mope on the bad days but take the positives and move on. We will do enough this season and a bit more if we have that attitude and of course that old chestnut, belief.

Belief must be in a equal share

Wigan 2 Millwall 2, League One, Game 10, 7,991, (238)

YET AGAIN AND WE ARE BACK UP NORTH AND 238 MAKE THE JOURNEY

That's played 10, won 4, lost 4 and drawn 2     Goals for 14, goals against 16 

 14 points

We sit in 12th place and 3 points off the play-offs

I don't want to criticise this performance but we blew this. To come back from 1-0 down to a 2-1 lead with just four minutes to go of extra time was the dogs and it looked like the three points was coming our way, due to Neil Harris's game plan.

Wigan hadn't lost at home this season and we hadn't lost away so who would break in this clash of ex Championship struggler's. The first half was not much to write about apart from Wigan come at the Lions from the off and won a string of corners but they got nothing from them as the Lions starting to settle and in the 21st minute Millwall had their best chance as a Lee Gregory shot grazed the right hand upright. A short time later Aiden O'Brien missed with a header from a Carlos Edwards cross.

Que the 2nd half and Neil Harris's game plan

Four goals were scored in this half and it was Wigan who scored the first with less than ten second half minutes on the clock Shaun Williams lost the ball and moments later it ended up in the Millwall net. Wigan could have shortly scored again but Jordan Archer saved well. Neil Harris reckoned it was time for a change and he took off  Ferguson and Ed Upson and fetched on Fred Onyedinma and Steve Morison and what a inspired move that turned out to be. After just a few minutes hard working Jimmy Abdou and midfielder Shaun Williams combined and set Fred on his way to fire the ball home and we were back on level terms. There be dancing in my house tonight as shortly afterwards our regular goal scoring central defender Mark Beever's powered one in and we were 2-1 up and another three away points was on the cards. As per normal there was rack of extra time minutes which in this game was six and just at the start of it  Lee Gregory was injured when we had possession and Wigan failed to give the ball back and crossed into our box.  Jordan Archer appeared to be impeded and the ball ended up in the goal even though we had three Millwall defenders on the line.I would have been happy to take a point before the game but I feel that we lost three.

Millwall: Archer, Edwards, Craig, Beevers, Webster, Williams, Abdou, Ferguson (Morison 63), O'Brien (Thompson 82), Gregory, Upson (Onyedinma 63),

Subs not used, Forde, Marquis, L.Martin, J.Martin

Goals: Onyedinma 69, Beevers 74

Wigan: O'Donnell, James (Odelusi 84), Perkins, Daniels, Power (Grigg 77), McCann, Jacobs, Chow, Murray (Junior 46), Barnett, Hiwula,

subs not used, Jaaskelainen, Kellett, Morgan, Hendry

Goals: Jacobs 53, Grigg 90+2

________

Millwall 3 Rochdale 1, League One, Game 9, 26/9/15 att: 8,023 (away 383),

COME ON YOU LIONS
Rocking all over the world

That's 13 points and our first League One home win of the season, HOORAY

Jimmy Abdou scores early and we never looked back, well may be slightly when Rochdale equalised on 43 minutes but a minute later Shaun Williams danced around a few Rochdale defenders and buried it to take us in at half-time 2-1 up. The Lions worked hard the 2nd half and didn't give Rochdale any time on the ball and our hard worked paid off when Aiden O'Brien received a ball from Fred Onyedinma and then went on to split the Rochdale defence with a through ball to Steve Morison who took two touches and beat the keeper with a clinical finish. Our win at home drought has finally come to a end. We must kick on from here and once again turn the Den into our fortress and away teams dread thier visit to SE16. COYL

A league home win at last and hopefully we are up and running, more of the same please. Aiden O'Brien assisted in all three of our goals and was given man of the match.


Little Harvey was our mascot for this game and Aiden O'Brien Tweeted he was our lucky charm
4-1-4 is our record after nine games and yet another away trip up north Tuesday night to see if we can beat Wigan. Read about Harvey this amazing six year old.

Click on link  millwallfc.co.uk//news/article/millwall-support-harvey-brownx

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104559

Millwall: Archer, Edwards, Craig, Beevers, Webster, Ferguson (L.Martin 80), Williams, Abdou, Morison, O'Brien (Marquis 76), Onyedinma (Upson 61),

subs not used, Forde, J.Martin, Gregory, Thompson

Goals: Abdou 4, Williams 44), Morison 60

Rochdale: Lillis, McNulty, Lancashire, Vincenti, Lund, Allen, Rose (McDermott 69), Cannon, Kennedy, Bunney (Andrew 46), Henderson (Alessandra 68),

subs not used, Diba Musangu, Rafferty, Eastham, Camps

Goal: Vincenti 43

Millwall 0 Southend 2, League One, Game 8, 19/9/15, att:10,228 A tribute to Albert McKenzie VC

Yet another game lost at home

A guard of Honour from HMS Collingwood to celebrate the life of Albert McKenzie VC who won the Victoria Cross in the first world war after a Royal Naval raid on Zebruggee. Please Google Albert's name for further details and read about this amazing young man from the Old Kent Road and also his memorial details.

***

The Game
That's another home defeat and it's took the shine off of the recent away wins. Burton Albion are top of the league with 18 points and we are stuck on 10. I really thought that we was going to win this one especially after the six points in four days but we looked not so sharp and leggy and thinking about it now most of our games are "up north" as we have no London Derby's so two games in four days at Crewe and Port vale was along time being on the road.

Blue skies, fluffy white clouds and I felt a buzz about the place that this could be it, our first home win this season in the league. What a plonker I was.

Beevers and Webster come up for this one but our well marked attack line comes up short

And to rub it in this is Southend's first away win of the season

My assessment of our performance was we done a lot of running and plenty of effort and although the Southend Keeper Dan Bentley kept out three or four decent chances we didn't look sharp overall..

We improved when Paris Cowan-Hall and Shane Ferguson came on which gave us better width and with also Lee Gregory buzzing around the box we looked busier but we still didn't put one away.

ps....I wasn't impressed with the ref.

Millwall: Archer, Edwards, Webster, Beevers (Ferguson 69), Craig, Onyedinma (Cowan-Hall),  Abdou, Williams, Upsoon (Gregory 51), O''Brien, Morison

subs, Forde, J.Martin, Marquis, Thompson

Southend: Bently, O'Neil, Bolger, Barrett (Rea 54), Prosser, Worrall, Leonard, Deegan, Timlin, Mooney (Weston 84), Piggott (Williams 94)

subs, Wordsworth, Payne, Atkinson, Smith, 

Goals: Mooney 37, Barrett 49

Port Vale 0 Millwall 2, League One, Game 7, 15/9//15, att: 4,477 (210)

Southend at the Den Saturday

We must all go Saturday and roar these Lions onto another victory. We are becoming a force to be reckoned with and even the Port Vale supporters agree.

They say stuff like this, the best side I've seen this season, they were very good, strong, quick and organised. Others said, the better side won, they were 'ard and skillful,

I think there is no need to go to the Den with negative vibes as it will pass to the team and spoil their performances. We must continue the momentum and create that crackle in the air that makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck, let the players sense it and I am sure they will continue their winning ways and I know they along with Neil Harris have it in them to take us to the top.

The Game

Aiden O'Brien hit a left footed shot just a few minutes into the game which was going in to the top left corner before it was saved. We came again and Aiden O'Brien had another shot saved after another couple of minutes but this time in the bottom right corner. Shortly afterwards Ed Upson, Steve Morison and Aiden O'Brien yet again all come close.

This team is looking good and after two consecutive wins on the road the Lions move just one point outside the play off spots. I know it's early but not much to shout about recently so I can't hold it back. We are starting to look a class act and Neil Harris is doing what ever it he is doing and it is bringing in the results.

We dominated the first half with still more shots coming in on the Port Vale goal, Steve Morison was working well with O'Brien and it was amazing that we went in at half-time stuck at 0-0. With the 200 making their selves heard Millwall started the second half  with the hope of putting one in the back of the net. We did not have to wait as Mark Beevers scored in the 57th minute with his head and the travelling support punched the sky with sheer delight. Port Vale picked their game up once they went behind but we stood firm. We still had more chances and right at the death Lee Gregory was awarded a penalty as the Vale keeper lunged and fetched him down. Gregory scored and that was that.

Millwall: Archer, Edwards, Williams, Webster, Craig, Onyedinma (Ferguson 76), Beevers, Upson, Abdou, Morison (Gregory 67), O'Brien (Marquis 83)

subs not used, Forde, J.Martin, Cowan-Hall, Thompson

Goals: Beevers 58, Gregory 90 pen

Port Vale: Ainwick, Purkiss, Streete (Inniss 45), Duffy, Dickinson, Moore, Grant, Dodds (Leitch-Smith 63), Andoh, Ikeazu, Foley (McCourt 83)

subs not used, Birchall, Johnson, Daniel, Lloyd

Crewe 1 Millwall 3 League One, Game 6, 12/9/15, att: 4,239 (we take about 600)

That's two wins on the bounce ( I am including the paint trophy )

After our mini-break due to international games we go to rock bottom Crewe and get our second away win of the season by courtesy of a terrific hat trick scored by Aiden O'Brien.
His first was drilled in on 22 minutes shortly after Steve Morison had his shot blocked by the Crewe keeper. Fourteen minutes later Crewe equalised when a deflection left Jordan Archer stranded and the ball took up its familiar role of being in the back of the Millwall net. The first half finished all square and I reckon the 2nd half  was about to be the most important 45 minutes of the season so far.  I say that as more of a sense than a fact but following on from the Johnstone Paint Cup win against Peterborough the winning way had to continue, if it did not continue then nothing would have seemed to have improved and being stuck on the bottom would have produced the gloom that would have helped to keep us there.

Aiden O'Brien chalks up his first professional hat trick

Bring on the 2nd half and cue the Aiden O'Brien road show.  I read the Aiden O'Brien article in the Southwark News the day before and he states that "he is a born striker and he wants to be more selfish in front of goal. He can do all of that as he proved today with a 2nd in the 64th minute when he buried a 30 yard smack that flew in the top corner. Then minutes later he buried his 3rd after picking the ball up just outside the box and waltzed around two or three defenders and guided the ball home. My daughters 40th birthday today with a big pub party planned for tonight so drinks all round and a happy, happy weekend.

Mr Edwards

I nearly forgot to mention Carlos Edwards who started again and put in yet again a good shift.
Keeping Edward's at the club to recover from his what could have been a career ending injury was a master stroke because without doubt he is a free addition to the team and without doubt we got for nought a top player. I know his age is against him but as long as he holds out he will be a great influence on the pitch with the academy players and probably the seniors as well.

Millwall: Archer, Edwards, Nelson (Webster 50), Beevers, Craig, Onyedinma (Ferguson 69), Abdou, Williams, Upson, O'Brien, (Gregory 84), Morison
subs not used, Forde, Cowan-Hall, Marquis, Thompson

Goals: O'Brien 21, 64, 74

Crewe: Garratt, Turlon, Davis, Nugent, Kinsley, Atkinson, Fox (Wilson 65), King, Inman, Dalla Volle (Cooper 80), Colclough,
subs not used, Richards, Guthrie, Ray, Haber, Baillie

Goal: Dalla Valle 36

That's six games gone and a total of seven points. We need to make that ten points so roll on Tuesday night and it's Port Vale away, which means it's back up north again.

Crewe V Millwall, League One, Game 6, tomorrow at their place after the international break

This leagues all about "going up north"

We cannot win at home in the league but we don't do too bad on the road and as I said below we may get something against Crewe. I have heard that although they are in the bottom spot just three below us they play decent but they concede goals. That will do for me,

Millwall 1 Peterborough 0, Johnstone Paint Trophy, Round One, 1/9/15, att:2050 (222)

It will take more than a coat of paint

JOHNSTONE PAINT TROPHY

1st ROUND

The largest gathering of the night

We win a game at home which is the first for yonks, but one win does not make a revival.

We seem to be lacking in grit, I don't want to be picky but we never really bossed the game and this will need to be improved before we can kick on and at least finish mid-table in this division. Perhaps it's a  Barry Kitchener, Terry Hurlock or Rhino type of attitude that's missing. All my pre-season excitement of doing something this season with Neil Harris and his trimmed down young squad was drained out of me by three successive home defeats but although this win is not something that should be shouted from the roof tops it is perhaps at least it's the opening of the tin of paint and a dip of the paint brush within.. We must kick on from here and win again and put some some gloss on it. Carlos Edwards was back in the side re-employed after his long long spell out with injury and all though he looked rusty he worked his way into the game and finished strong as he still had the energy to be in a attack position with just a few minutes to go and sent a ball in which Shaun Williams using his head sent the ball into the back of the net and the 2000 into orbit and the game was ours. I wonder who we will get in the next round.

ROCKING ALL OER THE WORLD, THE SPARSE 2000

Millwall: Archer, Beevers, Edwards, Nelson, Craig, Williams, Upson, O'Brien, Onyedinma, Thompson, Marquis,