Millwall 1 Crewe 1, League One, Game 28, 30/1/16, att: 9,044 ( 344 away)

Three penalties, two of them put away and we miss the third

Shane Ferguson starts this game as he is now a contracted Millwall player as we sign him from Newcastle United. He has done very well while being on loan at the Den and it is a first class signing and good Millwall business. Added quality to the team and he fits right in.

Plenty going on in the Crewe box

300

Jimmy Abdou landed on "our shores" back in 2008 after we signed him from Plymouth on a free and today he was presented with a silver platter for the 300 games he has played for us. Incredible really, quiet bloke, small in size, not the most skilful of the players in the team but well liked among the Wall support because he always gives it all, runs for the 90 minutes and probably runs home after. 

We should have won this game. We would have if Lee Gregory had not missed his 2nd penalty of the game. Take no notice of the false reports and take no notice of the Crewe manager questioning the referee awarding this second penalty that was a blatant hand ball by Crewe's Oliver Turton who played the ball deliberately with his right hand down by his side. I was directly in-line with this and had a good view from block 8 and well spotted the Lino.

Crewe did give us a game which we did expect and we had to work hard to try to win the game and putting the penalties aside we had chances but on the day we didn't lack effort but lacked that spark to bury the ball. We had the majority of the early play and we were putting the ball into the Crewe box with Lee Gregory and Aiden O'Brien having chances. Just before half time we should have been dancing in the isles as both Jed Wallace and Steve Morison missed decent chances.

Having the chances

It seems that we still like to make things hard for ourselves and went behind on 59 minutes when Jordan Archer conceded a penalty and for a scary moment I thought it maybe another red card. It wasn't and Archer picked the ball out of the back of the net. It didn't take long before we had a penalty of our own when Byron Webster was impeded going for a header and Gregory stroked it home. Jed Wallace had a great chance to give us the lead with just ten over ten minutes left on the clock he received the ball from Steve Morison but shot just over the bar. It looked like it could end up a draw but with just three minutes left on the clock we were awarded our second penalty but this time Gregory hit the post and that was that. I take the positive.....That's another game we didn't lose and it's 44 points. Something unusual happened with this game, we did not make a substitution.

Millwall: Archer, Cummings, Webster, Beevers, Ferguson, Wallace, Williams, Abdou, O'Brien, Gregory, Morison
subs not used, Forde, Nelson, Martin, Thompson, Upson, Onyedinma, Marquis
Goal: Gregory (pen 65m)
______
Crewe: Garrett, Turton, Guthrie, Nugent, Haber, Ihman Cooper (Ng 90), Fox, Jones, Ajayi, Bakayogo (Seager 80),
subs not used, Richards, Saunders, Ballie, Ainley, Howell
Goal: Ihman (pen 59m)

Chesterfield 1 Millwall 2, League 1, Game 27, 23/1/16, att: 7,078 (we take 854)

ON THE ROAD AGAIN AND IT'S ANOTHER NORTHERN WIN

According to the local rag Neil Harris is convinced we should have been awarded a penalty when Mark Beever's was tugged down from behind as he was just about to bury a ball from a few yards out. If Bombers convinced it was a penalty so am I. This could be Shane Ferguson's last game as his loan period ends but there maybe something brewing and he could stay, I hope he does.

I did not realise that we have not won at Chesterfield for 32 years and I was at that game. We were in the mire at that time with manager George Graham and we were struggling to stay up. We won this game 1-0 and it meant no fourth division for us. Apart from the win I remember a lad who got slung out for climbing over the front barrier to take a photo of the travelling support. I thought it was harsh and I still do now, I wonder if he blagged his way back in. We took a large away support that day and I remember Chesterfield's old ground Saltergate rocking. Their new stadium these days is called the Proact Stadium which is the name of a Chesterfield based IT company. Ever thought what's wrong with football?

They beat us at our place this season so it was a chance to reverse the outcome and move up the table.. Our away form this season has been decent and it continued here as we come back from being behind and took the prize of a play-off spot.

Millwall: Archer, Cummings, Webster, Beevers, Ferguson (Martin 76), Wallac, Abdou, Williams, O'Brien (Upson 78), Gregory (Onyedinma 88), Morison
subs not used, Forde, Nelson, Thompson, Marquis

Goals: O'Brien 27m, Gregory 47m
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Chesterfield: Lee, Oneil, Raglan, Hird, Talbot (Dieseruvwe 87), Ariyibi (Gardner 65), Morsy, Donohue, O'Shea, Novak, Ebanks-Blake (Harrison 72)
subs not used, Chapman, Humphreys, Onovwigun, Simone

Goal: Morsey 25m

Millwall 3 Port Vale 1 (3-0 ht), League One, Game 26, 17-1-15, att: 7,773 9267) Sunday afternoon

40 POINTS AND JUST OUTSIDE THE PLAY-OFF'S BY ONE POINT

Jimmy Abdou starts his 300th game for Lions

It would be about now that we make our play if we are serious about getting straight back out of this league.
We have enough fire power to do it and a bit more consistency will bring results. I believe that's all that's missing from the side and if we sort that we should climb the table.

Fire power: Lee Gregory 13, Aiden O'Brien 10, Steve Morison 10 and a further 21 scored by a assortment of defenders and the midfield..There's not a big hitter who is leading the field but there is games left for all three that are in double figures to aim for the twenty mark.

Steve Morison battled with these two Vale defenders all game

The crowd was somewhat less for this game and I put it down to a few factors. Losing at home to Oxford Thursday night didn't help and Sunday afternoon may have had something to do with it. The away crowd was sparse and I won't mention the cold because after all we are Wall and cold wouldn't keep us away, would it? 

We stuck into Port Vale as soon as the whistle went and had them on the back foot as we pushed forward and probed around Vale's goal. Steve Morison had a early chance after five minutes when his shot went just the wrong side of the post. This Morison effort was possible due to support play from Lee Gregory and Aiden O'Brien and its always good to see this spearhead trio working well together. With 15 minutes on the clock Loan signing Jed Wallace put in a superb ball for Gregory who with a lot to do adjusted his shape and managed to send a looping header inside the far post, what a goal that was. After the gloom of Thursday night and the defeat by Oxford it was good to hear the Den back to it's noisy self as we celebrated a cracking opener. 

A goal and a couple of hoodies keeps out the chill of  South Bermondsey

Lee Gregory was to strike again after being awarded a penalty when he was clobbered in the box and after 34 minutes the Lions were 2-0 up. We could have added to our tally before the penalty and it was good to see the defence and midfield working a lot better than they did Thursday, perhaps this was due to the less amount of long balls going over the top. We were dominated the half and just before the whistle blew for half time Steve Morison pounced when another effort from Lee Gregory was deflected out to Morison who stroked the ball home. Could we add to our goal tally in the second half and improve on our goal difference, Time will tell.

Port Vale made two substitutions for the start of the second half and had a bit more zest, I presume they got a half-time rollicking"and scored after fifteen minutes.with a shot that Jordan Archer had no chance with.. We kept the opposition away from scoring for the rest of the game and had numerous chances our selves to add to the score. A solid home win and that's the way it should be.

Millwall: Archer, Cummings, Ferguson, Beevers, Webster, O'Brien (Marquis 88m), Williams, Abdou, Wallace (Upson 63m), Gregory (Onyedinma 87m), Morison

subs not used, Forde, Nelson, Martin, Thompson

Goals: Gregory 14m, 34m pen,  Morison 45

Port Vale: Alnwick, Purkiss, Dickinson, McGivern, Duffy, O'Conner, Foley (Hooper 55m), Daniel (Kelly 46m,), Brown, Moore (Dodds 55m), Letch-Smith

subs not used, Neal, Streete, Yates, Grant

Goals: Hooper 61m

Things are happy in this part of South London

Millwall 3 Port vale 1

Man City 4 Palace 0

Hull City 6 Charlton 0

I can't wait for work in the morning

Millwall 0 0xford United 2, Johnstone Paint Trophy, area final, 1st leg, 14-1-15, att:7,275 (away 1,222)

Thursday night, we do not get many of them down the Den

WE COCKED THAT UP

1st half

We started well and then faded, We did get the ball from time to time and had our moments but we looked flat and jaded and it did not take long before we conceded. Oxford have Kemar Roofe a player who after scoring twice against Swansea in the FA Cup has become a bit of a starlet for Oxford and with 15 minutes gone he brushed aside Shaun Cummings and he shot or passed (not sure what) into the box which beat David Forde at the bottom of his right hand post. This mistake by Forde was bad news for him because having just got back in the team after being dropped for some poor displays this was the last thing he wanted. He got jeers from some of us and there was a good few I think who want him gone. 

We conceded again again on 42 minutes which was a strange goal. A Oxford shot hit the bar after Forde got a touch and then it seemed to go into a slow motion mode with no reaction from any body in a Lions shirt and there was Roofe again to head home his second goal.

2nd half

We come away with nothing

I thought that if we got a early goal we can still get something from this game and we set about the second half long balling up to our strikers. Oxford did not score any more which was the only positive on the night even though we did improve and Mark Beever's who can score a goal or two mis-directed a header and Steve Morison had a header cleared off the line and a shot saved low down to the goal keepers left. We still have to play them at their place which going into the game 2-0 down may seem an impossible task but if we click on the night we can give them a game because after all we are near the top of a division above them.

Millwall: Forde, Cummings, Martin(O'Brien 64), Beever's, Webster, Williams (Upson 78m), Abdou, Ferguson, Gregory (Onyedinma 85m), Morison, Wallace

subs not used, Archer, Nelson

Oxford: Buchel, Baldock, Roofe (Hylton 87m), Mullins, Wright, Sercumbe, Hoban (O'Dowda 77m), McDonald, Lundstram, Maguire, Evans

subs not used, Slocombe, Ruffels, Dunkley

Goals: Roofe 15, 42m

Oldham 1 Millwall 2 League One, Game 25, 9/1/16 att:3,558 (we take 362)

THAT TAKES US THREE POINTS OFF THE PLAY-OFF'S

Oldham have had spells in the top flight which was back around and after the first world war and in the early days of the Premiership but this lot have fell a long way. With less than 4,000 on the gate and a team that hasn't won in 12 games at home they were there for the taking. On a miserable day weather wise back in December this fixture was due to take place but Boundary Park one of the highest football grounds in the football league was flooded so it was called off. The Oldham supporters have had a miserable season but found humour and took joy that at least it was a Saturday when they didn't lose and especially a Saturday when they didn't lose at home.
Joy does not last long in football and as the Oldham lot more or less predicted they would lose at home with this one and all though the game was not a classic we secured the three points while not being at our best.  Shane Ferguson finishing his loan period with assists for both goals and a grateful 3-points.come south with us. It made a change to win up north and hopefully we can win some at home.

The Game

Homer referee, awarded four free kicks to us and fourteen to Oldham. Par for the course really

We sign on loan midfielder Jed Wallace from Wolves and thank you Kenny. We were after this player in the summer but didn't get him. We have him for a month and he started this game with Aiden O'Brien on the bench. Jed has pace and it didn't take long for us to get on the score sheet as he zipped in a cross which Lee Gregory picked up and buried after three minutes gone. Wallace was quick all over the pitch and it looks like he don't mind tracking back when duty calls.
Shane Ferguson played well but has played his last game for us as his loan period has come to a end. We have put in a bid for him as he has done well so we will be waiting on Newcastle United to let us know.

Oldham did have spells and they equalised in the 59th minute after they were awarded a dodgy free kick which David Forde had no chance with.  Forde was kept on his toes later through the half when Oldham pushing for the winner or at least another goal tested him on two occasions and a cross come shot was superbly turned away for a corner and also a thunder of a shot from the Oldham player Winchester had Forde horizontal and yet again he superbly saved. He is certainly working hard to keep his place between the sticks. We have not had much luck from our away trips up north recently so it was a happy journey home when with just five minutes left on the clock Shane Ferguson crossed a peach of a ball which Steve Morison buried by getting in low with his head.

Footnote: John Marquis back in the fold after his loan spell at Leyton Orient came on for the last three minutes when he replaced Steve Morison. Not sure what was the point of that.

Millwall: Forde, Cummings, Martin, Beever's, Webster, Wallace (O'Brien 64m), Williams, Abdou, Ferguson, Gregory (Onyedinma 76m), Morison (Marquis 87m)
subs not used, Archer, Upson, Thompson, Nelson

Goals: Gregory 2mins,  Morison 85mins

Oldham: Coleman, Dieng, Kelly, Jones, Poleon (Forte 64m), Cassidy, Winchester, Murphy, B.Wilson (Fuller 87m), Lafferty (J.Wilson 87m), Dummingan
subs not used, Cornell, Brown, Mills, Bove

Goal: Jones 59mins


13/1/16 Just heard that the Oldham manager David Dunn has been sacked. Not a nice thing and it seems to happen a lot when teams get beat by Millwall.

Barnsley 2 Millwall 1, League One, Game 24, 2/1/16, att: 8,700 (we take 385)

2016

It's way up north again and another 'iffy performance.

The last six league games WLLLWL "JUST TREADING WATER"

We get off to a good start and managed to secure a couple of corners in the first few minutes but it didn't take long before Barnsley scored. Mark Beever's with a last ditch tackle gave Barnsley a corner who played it short before crossing it in to the penalty box and it was headed in near the back stick. It was nearly half time before we caused a scare in the Barnsley box when Mark Beever's leapt like a salmon and the keeper gathered at the second attempt. This little bit of Millwall excitement was not enough to hold off the "groans" from the travelling Wall support when the half-time whistle blew.

It only lasted six minutes, it's the new year and it's the same old......

We changed a couple of players at half time with Lee Gregory and Shane Ferguson coming on and Fred Onyedinma and Ed Upson going off. This change did not stop Barnsley from still threatening the Lions goal and they were enjoying possession but Millwall now played with a bit of back bone and Steve Morison nearly scored but his effort was stopped on the goal line.  With David Forde still keeping  his place in goal he was keeping Barnsley from scoring again and it may have been the case that it inspired the team to produce a equaliser on 61 minutes when Steve Morison picked up the ball when a Joe Martin effort bounced to him after hitting the post and he banged the ball in. It only lasted six minutes before Barnsley scored again and once again we go home with nought. On this showing we haven't improved and we need to to do a lot more if we want something from this season apart from just getting by.

Millwall: Forde, Edwards(Abdou 68m), Martin, Beevers, Webster, Upson (Ferguson 46m), Williams, Saville, Onyedinma (Gregory 46m), O.'Brien, Morison

subs not used, Archer, Nelson, Thompson, Philpot

Goal: Morison 61m

_____

Barnsley: Davies, Wabara, Long, Mawson, White (Bree 87m), Watkins (Smith 87m), Pearson, Isgrove, Hurihane, Hammill, Winnall

subs not used, Townsend, Williams, White, Roberts, Templeton

Goals: Winnall 12m, Hammill 67m

That's Christmas and the New Year truly over