Millwall Win at The Den

The Lions win convincingly over Walsall 3-1, gaining 3 more points and stepping closer to a guaranteed playoff slot. Gary Alexander put 2 in the back of the net today to secure the victory,  giving him 9 goals for the year.

Full Match Report

Automatic Promotion Hopes Dashed by Colchester

Kenny Jackett’s men fall 1-0 to Colchester United…..

After an amazing run of form over the past several games, Millwall’s bid for automatic promotion took a severe blow on a late winner from Colchester’s Clive Platt in the 84th minute.

Full match report

Lions Hold On At Home

Millwall grab their first home victory since January 17th in a 1-0 result over Northampton.

The Lions greatly improved their chances for promotion as they pulled level with MK Dons in the table and moved within striking distance of 2nd place Peterborough.

Gary Alexander’s 9th goal of the season was the difference maker in a game that was dominated by Millwall for the first 65 minutes. Consistent possession and good movement upfield by Jackett’s 4-3-3 formation, kept Northampton at bay for the majority of the match.

James Henry continued to show fantastic skill and form as he created several chances from the wing and was responsible for setting up the only score with Alexander. His loan is just about up and will call for a return to Reading. You can be sure that manager,Kenny Jackett and his colleagues are working the phones to try to get an extension.

It’s now a run of 3 straight wins and the boys find themselves in a very favorable position going down the stretch.

Next up: A huge matchup against League-leading Leicester City at The Den. The Foxes have not lost in the league since October. Matty Fryatt is the top scorer with 28 goals in all competitions, and will prove to be a tough challenge for the not-so-stable Lion defense.

Could this be the perfect return opportunity for our Robbo? We sure could use him against the LCFC attack.

Henry the Hero Again

In what looked to be a draw at The Galpharm, turned out to be a last minute hearstopper.

Millwall now find themselves on a run of 3 straight away wins, with the latest coming at the expense of Huddersfield, in a dramatic 2-1 result. It was the first ever victory for the Lions at Galpharm Stadium.

Some rather curious decisions made by Jackett to start Richard Duffy over the “in-form” Ashley Grimes, left the away supporters wondering what was going on. MFC dominated for much of the game, creating some solid chances, but often not capable of finishing. It wasn’t until the 69th minute when Marc Laird hit a long shot from outside the box, that the scoring began. A letdown in the defence led to the Huddersfield equaliser just 4 minutes later.

The match slipped into injury time and look destined for a draw, when Scott Barron, who entered the game 76 minutes in, broke away from the defenders and created a a brilliant assist that was buried into the net by the streaking James Henry. His third goal with the club again came in heroic form, cementing the Lions promotion playoff spot even further.

Next up: The boys return home to The Den to face Northampton, a club struggling to stay out of the relegation zone. The Cobblers have only won twice in their last 12 games, and have only scored more than 1 goal once during that period. Look for the Lions to take this one at home in good fashion.

Promotion Hopes Live On!

In a setting of gale force winds and rain, the victory-hungry Lions  feasted on Southend shrimp . It was a tightly contested match but Millwall came out on top in a 1-0 win.

The recently injured Gary Alexander returned to the starting lineup only to find himself in perfect position for an easy goal and a successful return for the veteran striker. James Henry, Jimmy Abdou and Ashley Grimes also provided glimpses of brilliance on other near-miss opportunities.

Man-of-the-match, Danny Forde, put on a display that could be used in training for any young aspiring keepers. The same couldn’t be said for the defense in front of Forde. Southend United continually pushed pass the defenders with little to no resistance, but could not finish or slide the equalizer past the sure-handed Forde. Millwall are yearning for the return of their captain, Paul Robinson. Robbo, please, please, please…….heal swiftly. We need you!

The 3 points earned at Roots Hall, kept Millwall firmly planted in 5th place in the table with 58 total points in 33 games played.

Next up: On the road to Galpharm Stadium against Huddersfield Town. Town sits 10th in the table with a bevvy of draws from recent fixtures. Huddersfield’s “Robbo”, Gary Roberts, is a dangerous winger with a wicked left foot. He leads the Terriers with 9 goals scored this season.

Halle-fucking-lujah! Millwall Win!

Millwall win! Millwall win! Millwall win!

In what could have been a “rock bottom” scenario, should Millwall have fallen to the lowly Cheltenham boys, turned into a small cause for celebration. Sure, we didn’t defeat a promotion-contender, but we did get back on the winning track with a solid 3-1 victory away from the Den.

One unfortunate result of the game came in the form of a season-ending injury to the newest addition to the club, striker Vincent Pericard. His ruptured achilles leaves him on the shelf and without a club or contract going into the summer.

As for the match, the Lions played well and finally showed some good communication skills and chemistry.

The first half was worrisome, as the boys went into the locker room trailing 1-0, but coming out of the gates in the second half with Ashley Grimes and Marc Laird coming off the bench, it looked like a completely new and revived squad. James Henry scored the equalizer in the 50th on a penalty, and then Grimes drove in his first ever league goal for Millwall in the 60th to take the lead. Marc Laird then dropped the guillotine with his late cracker in the 89th minute.

Losing Pericard is a blow, but if Grimes comes into form and the manager can get something out of McLeod, Harris and Grabban then we may be alright to finish down the stretch.

Millwall now sit in 4th place in the table after Tuesday, with both Oldham and Scunthorpe suffering losses. Holding steady in a playoff spot, but 6 points away from automatic promotion, can this club hold together and close the gap?

What the Fucking Hell, Millwall?

What is happening to our 2008/09 season?

Now on a run of 5 straight games without a win following today’s defeat at the hands of lowly Brighton, Millwall fans are wondering what is to become of their club.

Manager, Kenny Jackett, changed up the starting 11 again today. Yesterday’s addition, Vincent Pericard, was immediately thrust into the lineup and had very few glimpses of brilliance. The constant shuffling of starters is proving not to be a winning formula. Consistency is key, Kenny!

The Lions, however, were not short of chances. Neil Harris had a few close attempts in the area in the first half, but by the second 45,  the team had very little energy and enthusiasm. 

Sitting in 6th place in the table, but losing ground to clubs 7 thru 8, Millwall have to find their steady form and chemistry if they are to contend for the playoffs to promotion.

The Lions will head to Cheltenham for their next match. Cheltenham are a club on an even worse run of luck than our boys in blue. They have lost 5 in a row and have not shown any signs of improvement.

If we can’t win at the Den, maybe our fortunes will change next week away from South London.

Victory Slips Away at Stockport

Izale McLeod had a stellar performance, scoring his first two goals since joining the club on loan earlier this season from Charlton.  The striker’s brace consisted of a cracker in the 17th and a penalty conversion in the 53rd.

The Lions looked strong for all of the first half and late into the second half as they protected a 2-0 lead. It wasn’t until David Martin’s sending off in the 65th minute when things started to fall apart. Ten man Millwall then proceeded to give up a goal in the 79th minute to a fresh-off-the-bench, Matty McNeil, and then another in th 84th to a player who should have been sent off earlier, Oli Johnson. MFC had a few last chance efforts at goal in the dying minutes as McLeod look destined for a third in injury time, but the referee waved off the clear penalty in the box.

This 2-2 draw now have Millwall sitting 6th in the table with 51 points. Playoff chances are still very much alive, but the boys need to find their form and hold it for the full 90.

They now return to the Den for matchups with Swindon Town and Brighton. These are two clubs that are fighting off relegation and should provide a springboard for Millwall to leap back to winning ways.

C’mon you Lions, play on!

Beckford Brace Determines Defeat

Jermaine Beckford’s two goals capped off the Leeds victory over a depleted Millwall squad.

Going into the match, the Lions were down injured players in Paul Robinson and Lewis Grabban, along with a suspension of Marc Laird. The replacements were only able to put three shots on goal in the match and there was an evident lack of crossing the ball into a scoring position. Richard Duffy made his debut, but was substituted in the 52nd minute by Alan Dunne. Izale McLeod also made a rare start, but did show some signs of scoring potential. 

This loss moves Leeds within 2 points of MFC, and keeps the table knotted up at 50 points in positions 4 thru 6.

Looking ahead, the boys in blue have another tough matchup away to Stockport. Let’s hope the new additions and bench players can reach their form in time for Saturday’s match.