[jjamez]

Another quick turnaround for town as they try to put Saturdays defeat down at Watford behind them as they welcome Miwaw up from the capital on Wednesday night. The depleted Town side put up a valiant but eventually lacklustre performance in against Watford, with Town rarely threatening to do any real damage to the Hornets nest. Although there was still a few positives that could be taken from the game at the weekend into the midweek game, mainly how our two novice central defenders managed to keep a tight grip over Troy Deeney and Andre Gray, whilst they struggled a little bit more with the trickery of Joao Pedro, he was still rather quiet and having to drift out into the half spaces, its still a commendable effort with experienced premier league and international defenders having struggled in the past. Other positives were the cameo from Scott High, who in a 30 minute appearance showed much more about himself than what Pritchard has done in almost 3 years and looks to be a very useful prospect for the rest of the season, as well as a solid performance from Alex Vallejo. On a lesser note, but still a positive was Danny Ward showing a little bit more about himself than he has done before this season, which will be useful for when we need to give Campbell a rest. There was also a fairly bright performance from Rolando Aarons, but it never quite worked for him, probably due to rustiness, but again, he showed in 60 minutes more than direkhaby since we signed him.

On the other hand, Ryan Schofield provided Town with another error at the back to go in the catalogue from this season, he seemed to either be away with the fairies or focusing on where he wanted to put it that he became oblivious to the fact that Tom Cleverly was fast approaching. It was always going to happen and even premier league goalkeepers make mistakes, its a thankless task in goal as an error of judgement like that usually results in a goal, had it been at the other end and Campbell being caught out, there would be 10 men to help out, Ryan has kept us in a lot of games this season and pulled off some fine saves, so I'll let him off as long as it doesn't become a regular occurrence.  It was also another frustrating day for Bacuna, who at times tries to be too fancy or do too much on his own, almost like he is intent on making a good youtube highlights reel for himself. Its also becoming something that can be labelled at Pipa too, who seems to often ignore the winger in favour of going forward on his own.

I went through the bench from Saturday and decided that I felt there was 4 players that probably shouldn't be on there yet, not on a permanent basis, I feel with 9 subs on the bench, sub 9 should be the best training youngster, but obviously needs must at the present moment. I felt that Jones, Duhaney, Austerfield and Olagunju  were the ones that should be replaced at the moment on the bench, now with Mbenza hopefully returning quickly, that would see Jones drop out with Aaron Rowe taking the spot on the bench, if Duane Holmes does sign (at time of writing he hasn't) then that would take Austerfields spot on the bench, now Elphick has been back training and Stearman isn't far away either, that makes me question the rumoured signing of Richard Keogh (again not signed at the time of writing, edit he has now) granted Elphick hasn't trained much at all and has been out for over a year, but a spot on the bench as a needs must until Stearman is back, I don't see why that isn't a better option than spending money on a 34 year old, that would take Olagunju's spot leaving just Duhaney in the 9th sub role, fighting it out with those who have lost their spot, that is until the longer term absentees and maybe Danny Grant and Sorba Thomas have had some proper training time.



So, onto Wednesday and Town welcome an out of form Millwall side to the John Smiths Stadium. The Lions currently sit 16th in the league on 26 points, 5 points behind Town, they come into the game on the back of a 3-1 defeat away at Nottingham Forest. Millwalls current form is nothing short of dire really, registering just the one win in the last 15 games, that coming back in December away at Bristol City thanks to goals from Tom Bradshaw and Mason Bennett. For those of you interested, 15 league games ago, Millwall lost 3-0 at home, whilst Town were 3-0 winners, yes thats right, they faced each other in the last game of October, Towns goals came from Josh Koroma in the first half and two late goals from sub Pipa and Lewis O'brien. Going into that game Millwall were on the cusp of a playoff place and have since plummeted, Town meanwhile were midtable dreaming of a possible play off charge with the right signings in January, they still sit midtable, dreaming of a playoff charge with the right signings in January...



So what have Millwall done since we last met them? obviously they've only won once in the league and that was in December, so November saw them winless, but it also saw them undefeated, with all 5 games drawn. 0-0's against Birmingham, Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich, all away, with the two home games being 1-1 against Cardiff and Reading, Matt Smith and Jed Wallace scoring the only goals for the lions that month and by the end of it they had moved from just outside the playoffs down to 11th. From Towns point of view, November also yielded 5 points, a 1-1 draw at home to Luton thanks to a Carel Eiting goal and a drab 0-0 away at Wycombe, with the win coming at the end of the month at home to Neil Warnock's Middlesbrough, goals from Eiting again and Frazier Campbell, put Town ahead after Marvin Johnson gave the visitors the lead, a dubious penalty was converted by Britt Assombalonga in the 83rd minute to make it 2-2, before Josh Koroma bagged the winner just minutes later. The defeats came 2-1 at home to Bristol City and away 4-3 in a horror goal fest at Stoke. At the end of the month Town had hardly moved and were just behind Millwall in 13th.



A hectic December ensued for both sides with Millwall picking up just the 5 points from a possible 18. 3 of those came via the aforementioned win away at Bristol, the other 2 points came via 1-1 draws against QPR and Nottingham Forest respectively. The game against QPR came after a section of the Millwall support had booed the taking of the knee in a 1-0 defeat against Derby the time out before. The only Millwall goal against QPR came through Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, whilst Bradshaw bagged against Forest. The other games that month were a 1-0 defeat against Derby, a 3-0 defeat away at Middlesbrough and a 2-1 defeat away at Blackburn, former Town 'player' Scott Malone scoring for the Lions, by the end of the month, Millwall had sunk down to 16th 9 points above the relegation places and 8 off the playoffs.

Town on the other hand picked up 13 points in December, thanks in large to some good home form. The month started off poorly with a 3-0 defeat away at Cardiff, where a changed Town side put in an inept performance and struggled with the power Kieffer Moore up top. The side managed to bounce back the following weekend thanks to a stellar first half performance against QPR, Josh Koroma got Town off to a flier before Harry Toffolo bagged his first home goal for Town, Town could have had more in the first half and eventually took their foot off the gas in the second half. The game was marred by a serious injury picked up by Am Chaffs eye candy Chris Schindler. Town were to pick up another injury next time out against Sheffield Wednesday as Josh Koroma also suffered a knee injury in the second half. He had opened the scoring for Town, before Mbenza doubled the lead, Bacuna had the chance to make it 3-0 before Koroma had got injured but squandered the only penalty Town have had this season. What could have been eh? The less said about the game after the better. Town lost 5-0 away at Bournemouth the end. A dour 0-0 away at Coventry followed before we were back on home ground against Watford and a 2-0 win followed thanks in large to errors from the Watford team, first Goalkeeper Ben Foster was charged down by Mbenza, with the ball being turned in by Campbell before Capoue turned in a Mbenza corner, Schofield pulled off a number of point blank saves to keep a clean sheet against the former premier league side. In the boxing day fixture, Town travelled to Barnsley and took the lead through Edmonds-Green's first professional goal in town colours, before Polish defend Helik struck from a corner and in the last minute from a foul throw to give the Dingles the 3 points. Town finished the year off at home to Blackburn and our own defender bagged a brace, Naby Sarr guided a header from a Mbenza corner, before Sam Gallagher equalised in the 86th minute, but Sarr was to pop up in the 90th minute to coolly find the top corner. Town finished the month on 31 points 5 points off the playoffs.

January has so far yielded just the solitary point for the Lions thanks to a 1-1 draw at home to Bournemouth, Matt Smith scoring with his first touch of the game. A 10 man Millwall lost 2-1 at home to Coventry, Jed Wallace scored for the Lions before former town defender Murray Wallace saw a second yellow in the 93rd minute. The other league game was the already mentioned 3-1 defeat last time out against Forest. The other game in January was against Boreham Wood in the FA Cup, where the Lions came through 2-0 and will face Bristol City this coming Saturday.



Town have yet to win this calendar year after losing 2-1 at home to Reading thanks to a Lucas Joao brace after a Campbell had given Town an early lead, before losing last time out against Watford. In the cup a young Town side lost 3-2 at home to Plymouth with Crichlow and Rowe bagging their first senior goals for Town.

Overall, Millwall record this season stands at played 23, won 5 drawn 11 lost 7 and a goal difference of -4. In comparison, Town have played 24, won 9, drawn 4 lost 11 and have a goal difference of -6.

As for their leading performers so far this season, it comes at no surprise that Jed Wallace leads the scoring charts and is joint top in the creative charts, having scored 6 goals and assisted 3. Matt Smith has 4 goals for the Lions so far, whilst fellow striker Tom Bradshaw has 3 goals. In terms of assists, Ryan Leonard is the player level with Wallace on 3, with Scott Malone having created 2 goals. As a comparison, Josh Koroma is still Towns top scorer on 6, with Campbell now on 5. Isaac Mbenza and Harry Toffolo both have 5 assists so far this season with Carel Eiting looking unlikely to be adding to his 3 goals and 3 assists.



In the head to heads, the first 4 meetings between the two sides were in the 20's in the FA Cup, with Town coming out on top overall, losing just the one tie, drawing one but winning the replay and it wouldn't be until the 60's when the two sides would meet again in competitive action in league division two. It wasn't until the late 60's that the Lions registered their first win over Town, a league double in the 68/69 season including a 5-1 defeat away. That double would set in motion a period of time where Town would struggle to get a result over the Lions and it wasn't until the 00's and 2010's that Town would rediscover a bit of dominance over our guests.  Altogether, Town have won 22 times against Millwall, with them winning 19 in return with just the 7 draws between the two sides. The most notable of which were the two play off games in Lee Clark's first season in charge, the home leg finished 0-0 and Town were bullied and intimidated in the away leg and lost 2-0, Clark then lost his guts and changed his style of play. Oh what could have been, as that was one of the best seasons of football I have seen Town play with Pilks and Roberts on the wings attacking all the time. Instead he went more defensive and direct and has since plummeted his way down to Newcastle Blue Star as a director of football...  

Last season it was Millwall who had the upper hand over Town, with the game at the John Smiths Stadium being one of those 7 draws a 1-1 in late September, Fraizer Campbell scoring his first goal for Town before former Leeds striker and Doctor Who, Matt Smith equalised before half time. The Lions were reduced to 10 men as Shane Ferguson received two yellow cards. In the return fixture, it was Danny Schofield who led a young Town side in the final game of the season, with Town sacking Danny Cowley having secured survival in the Championship. It was a slow start for Town as Connor Mahoney scored past Joel Coleman in the 4th minute, before Karlan Grant scored what would be his last goal for Town in the 36th. Jake Cooper scored just after the break before Jiri Skalak and Bodvarsson bagged to leave Town ending the season with a 4-1 defeat.

Millwall have been quiet in this transfer window so far, having not signed anyone as of yet, with only two players leaving, Kenneth Zahore has returned to West Brom at the end of his loan, whilst James Brown has felt good and got on up to St Johnstone on loan. Whereas Town have been rather busy compared to other sides, having signed another Grant in the form of Danny from Bohemians, Sorba Thomas has joined from Boreham Wood and Rolando Aarons from Newcastle, now being joined by Richard Keogh signed on a 6 month deal from MK Dons. Leaving the club so far have been Ben Hamer to Swansea and Ben Jackson has gone out on loan to League two giants Bolton Wanderers.

Team news

Town are expected to be able to welcome back Isaac Mbenza and Naby Sarr to the squad, whilst Alex Pritchard could also be in contention. Richard Keogh is also expected to be available for the Wednesdays game. Adama Diakhaby and Jonathon Hogg are still out with Rarmani Edmonds-Green now joining them on the side lines, how long for is not clear, but with there being a week until our next game, it would seem like he may be back for the trip to Brizzle.

As for Millwall it seems like they have a fully fit squad to pick from for this fixture.



manager talks

Carlos Corberán:

"We had a need to bring in a centre-back. For me it was really, really necessary. We know that Crichlow and Edmonds-Green are both young players. The experience has been great for them. In Keogh we have a player with a lot of experience."

"Without any doubt we could come straight into the side. He has the minutes in the legs and is ready to play. He's a centre-back that can play out from the back. He can add to the team. What we demand is things he's been doing."

"Naby Sarr is in a better condition and we expect him to be back. We have Sarr, Keogh and Crichlow as our three available centre-backs for tomorrow's game. Edmonds-Green has some problems. Jonathan Hogg could miss the next two or three games."

"Carel Eiting is making the recovery at Ajax because he has the surgery there. We know his surgery was good, but now Ajax need to control his rehabilitation and control this situation. We know it won't be a short-term injury."

"Isaac Mbenza trained with the group yesterday, but today he will train again. He could be in the squad tomorrow. The case of Pritchard is the same. He is in mind to be in the squad."

"Millwall's position in the table only makes them more dangerous. They have all the possibilities to get better results."

"Adama Diakhaby is in the same type of rehabilitation. He's not going to be available. Stearman will be about three weeks to come back to the group."

Ones to Watch

Jed Wallace- Surprised he is still there with all due respect, could easily have been picked up by a low end Premier League side after his recent showings. The former Wolves player is an integral part of the Millwall system and they are heavily reliant on him to perform.



Jake Cooper- A giant of a defender that stands at roughly 6 foot 6 and is vital for Millwall at both ends of the pitch, as good as he is in the air, he is also a key defensive cog for the Lions when the ball is anywhere in the final third



Ryan Woods- Signed on a season long loan from Stoke, having failed to make his mark there after joining from Brentford. The fiery haired midfield was a key player for Brentford for a number of years due to his ability to go box to box for 90 minutes. Has featured heavily for the Lions this term and whilst having not scored yet, is key to breaking down attacks much like our general Hogg.



Played for both

Millwall have 2 former Town players amidst their ranks in the forms of Scottish defender Murray Wallace and a fellow defender in Scott Malone who is probably more famous in his Town days for kicking the ball into his own face. But can you guess these former players with a foot in both camps?

1) Over a decade involved with Huddersfield in one shape or another, he spent 2 years at Millwall before moving up north to be closer to home and joined Rotherham. Finished his playing career at the illustrious Mickleover Sports.

2) Left sided full back who spent a year at The Den after leaving Norwich but failed to make an appearance for the side. He was released at the end of that season and signed for a club just up the coast from Norwich. Was able to make his mark there and earned himself a move to the greatest team the world has ever seen.

3) Was originally a roofer working for his uncle when he was spotted and started playing semi-professional. He had a good 2 year spell at Town in the 00's before a 6 year spell in orange saw him be part of a side promoted to the Premier league and scored their first ever Premier league goal. His time at Millwall was a brief loan spell where he linked up with a former manager of his before his career started to gradually wind down.

4) Had a loan spell at Town in the early 00's but really wasn't that good. Had a 2 year spell at Millwall a decade later and wasn't much better there either. His prime years came between 04-10 where he scored 93 goals in 196 games in Scottish football before moving down to Middlesbrough where he would score a further 37 goals in 116 games. After his poor spell at Millwall he rediscovered his scoring touch back in Scotland before heading darn unda where he still plys his trade.

5) Had a brief emergency loan at Millwall where he scored 5 in 7 games for the Lions, before then being loaned out to Blackpool. Spent 5 years going from the Premier League to the Championship at Crystal Palace before leaving to join Town, in what could only be described as an utter woeful spell at Town. Has also had trouble off the field in the past and is now playing out on the continent.

6) Striker who had two spells at both clubs, one loan, one permanent. His permanent spell at Town marked the beginning of a new era at the club. Scored 16 goals in 45 appearances for Town in that spell and had a few howlers in there too. He joined Millwall on loan from Town scoring 2 in 7 before that deal was turned permanent. His permanent stay was brief as he only managed 4 appearances for the side before being shipped to the midlands. 4 years after leaving Town he came back on loan and showed that nothing had changed. Has spent the last 4 years bouncing around the bottom 2 leagues of English football.

7) Signed for Town from Bournemouth and would win player of the season at Town Made 59 appearances for Town as a defender before moving back down south to Portsmouth. Had a year at Millwall in the mid 00's and played 15 times before moving on to Yeovil who loaned him back to Millwall and released him to Swindon with him never featuring in the green hoops.

And now for a few Annie Grams

1) Embryos Den

2) Wry Gate Rot

3) I Shoot A Chuckle

4) Waylaid Linseed

5) Ban Her Trickery

[theo_luddite]

Nice one jjamez

3. (first set) is GTF - Gary Taylor-Fletcher - or GTF-in, when he scored
Never understood how Bollackpool got him for nowt off us. I mean, Bollackpool's owners were two of the finest pillars of the community who would never try and scam anyone, so there must have been a fabulous sell-on clause in that deal somewhere that we just missed out on when he went to Leicester.

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and 2 in the Auntie Grams - Gary Rowett

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Anyone got any idea's why this game is being played Wednesday instead of Tuesday? Of the games to be played tonight, Bollackburn are already swamped off due to rain - ironically, they were due to play The Swans.

[Lord Snooty]

Good stuff, jjamez.

No1 is Danny Boy Schofield

No4 Scotty McDonald

[jjamez]

Looking at the young terriers that are playing today, olagunju, Thomas, diarra, daly, Austerfield and harratt all feature so I doubt they will be there tonight.

To me that says mbenza, sarr, keogh and Pritchard are all going to be around the squad tonight

[Lord Snooty]

6. Theo Robinson

[theo_luddite]

Auntie-gram 1

Bermondsey

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I keep trying but I can't find Cold Blow Lane in there anywhere

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Number 7 - and I'll admit to some major Google trawling for this one because it intrigued me - Jamie Vincent.

I was living in Canada at the time so apart from my one or two match a year sabbatical around Xmas/New Year - I really haven't much of a Scooby Doo about him. His name rings a vague bell but when you've only seen a player 2 or 3 times, player of the season or not, he won't live long in your memory blanks.

I'll stop Google trawling now and let you with enough brain cells left to remember some of these lads to try and work out the rest.

Sounds like it's a bit wet up north.

[Amelia Chaffinch]

Penalty missed by Campbell! 

[Lord Snooty]

Poor first half that. Millwall difficult to break down. Can't go missing penalties when you get gifted one.
Scott Malone never scored once for us but seems to score against us every time he plays us.

[Amelia Chaffinch]

Scott Malone showing what he can against us and not for us, you mean. 

[Lord Snooty]

That was bloody rubbish!