Match Day Thread Millwall v Preston North End The New Den 2/3/2021

The joy of South London on a Tuesday night, would have been good to go even though probably would have meant getting home at some riduculous time the following morning, however a year of not watching games at grounds is approaching so the red button it is, reminder it kicks off at 7pm.

OPPOSITION

please log in to view this image

please log in to view this image

The Den (previously The New Den) is a football stadium in Bermondsey, south-east London, and the home of Millwall Football Club.[1] The Den is adjacent to the South London railway originating at London Bridge, and a quarter of a mile from the Old Den, which it replaced in 1993.

Built on a previous site of housing, a church and the Senegal Fields playgrounds, the Den has an all-seated capacity of 20,146, although that is restricted to approximately 18,100 to allow for visiting fans segregation and crowd safety measures.[2] The highest match attendance in the 2018-19 season was 17,195.

The Den is the sixth stadium that Millwall have occupied since their formation in the Millwall area of the Isle of Dogs in 1885. Previous grounds include Glengall Road (1885–1886), Lord Nelson Ground (1886–1890), The Athletic Grounds (1890–1901), North Greenwich (1901–1910) and The Old Den (1910–1993).


Never went to the Old Den apparently a bit of an hostile atmosphere can be the same at the new ground although have to say like going there, the home fans are down to earth and take no crap and say it how it is. Quite interesting on the railway platform after games especially having hammered them.

LAST TIME OUT

BARNSLEY 2 MILLWALL 1

Millwall: Bialkowski, Hutchinson, S. Williams (Ferguson 85'), J. Wallace (Bradshaw 90+2'), Thompson (Smith 75'), Romeo, Malone, Pearce (Bodvarsson 85'), Woods, Bennett (Burey 85'), Evans. Subs not used: Fielding, McNamara, Mitchell, Tiensia.

Wallace is decent good scoring record and Smith always causes us problems, not an easy side to play against strong resolute they have been unable to close games down have drawn more than most. Like us I think they have been affected by not having fans in the ground and the pitch isn't the best.
The home side had been on a decent run Saturday's defeat was their first in ten league games, they are one place above us better goal difference even though they have only won 9 games

FORM GUIDE

MILLWALL 11 PNE 9

FAMOUS FOLK FROM BRERMONDSEY

Robert "Bob" Marriott was a British boxer. Twice an amateur champion of England, in his professional career he was British and European lightweight champion between 1919 and 1920.
From Bermondsey, London, Marriott served as Private in the British Army during World War I and was an amateur champion of England at lightweight in 1912 and 1914 (and runner-up to F. Grace in 1913) before turning professional.[1][2][3]

He made his professional début on 12 November 1917 against Ben Callicott at the National Sporting Club, taking a 15-round points decision.[4] In February 1919 he beat Ted Moore, with Moore disqualified in the sixth round for holding.[5]

In April 1919 he fought Raymond Vittet for the vacant European lightweight title, winning after Vittet was disqualified in the third round. Two months later he beat Johnny Summers to take the British lightweight title vacated by Freddie Welsh, again via the disqualification of his opponent, Summers adjudged to have been holding.[6][7]

Marriott was due to defend his British title against Llew Edwards in May 1920 but declined the fight and reportedly returned his Lonsdale Belt to the National Sporting Club.[8][9]

He defended his European title in May 1920, losing to Georges Papin on points in Paris, the fight having been postponed from January due to a leg injury to Marriott.[10]

In February 1921 Marriott retired from boxing, relinquishing his British title, with business interests meaning that he could no longer commit to his boxing career.[11][12]

Be surprised if we pick the same side for this game although Neil could surprise us, two games undefeated can we actually put a decent run of results together for the first time this season, get to the 50 point marker as soon as possible then take it from there.

 

Same side? Not a chance!

 

Preston North End head to the capital for the third time this season, looking to continue their 100 per cent record in London in 2020/21.

Wins over Brentford and Queens Park Rangers have come and gone and now they head south of the River Thames to face Gary Rowett’s Millwall on Tuesday night, looking to build on back-to-back home clean sheets, including Saturday’s 3-0 win over Huddersfield Town.

The Lions have drawn more teams than anyone else in the Championship this season, with less defeats than some of the top six, proving they are very tough to break down and PNE will have to be at their creative best for the trip to The Den.

With eight players having missed the weekend’s victory over the Terriers, manager Alex Neil will hope to welcome some back in time to face the Lions, especially having been unchanged for the two games last week.


Head To Head: PNE wins – 25; Draws – 11; Millwall - 31

Team News
Alex Neil’s injury list at the weekend included Liam Lindsay, Paul Gallagher, Ryan Ledson, Sean Maguire and Billy Bodin, but he admitted in his pre-match press conference that he hoped a number would be closer to a return.

Long-term injuries to Declan Rudd, Patrick Bauer and Louis Moult mean they are still unavailable though.

Meanwhile, Gary Rowett has suggested that Jake Cooper might not be fit to return for the game: “I think he has a chance of featuring next week, probably the back end of the week if everything goes to plan,” Rowett said.

For their defeat at Barnsley, the Lions were without Ryan Leonard, Murray Wallace and Kenneth Zohore. Connor Mahoney and Maikel Kieftenbeld are the two closest to a return, but are also set to miss the Lilywhites game.

please log in to view this image

Match Officials
For the third time this season, taking charge of North End as referee on Tuesday night is experienced official Keith Stroud.

His games earlier this season were the televised encounter with Cardiff City and the Christmas victory over Coventry City, both at Deepdale, and he has also officiated the Lions once already, in a 3-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest in January.

Before this year, he last took charge of North End for our 2-1 home win over Fulham in December 2019. Before that he also refereed of our win at Middlesbrough in March that year and the 1-1 draw with Swansea City back in January, his first game at Deepdale for a number of years.

In 2017/18, the Hampshire official took charge of two PNE games, both away from Deepdale, the first at Birmingham City back in September 2017, when goals from Tom Barkhuizen, Daniel Johnson and Jordan Hugill saw the side come from behind at the break to end Harry Redknapp’s tenure at St Andrews and the second, the win at Burton Albion in December the same year.

In 2016/17 his only game with the whistle for a PNE game was our loss at Brentford, whilst the previous season he also took charge of another game at Birmingham, as North End came from 2-0 down against what was then Gary Rowett’s men, with goals from Alan Browne and now Bluebirds defender Greg Cunningham earning the Lilywhites a point.

That was his second North End game in two months after he took charge of PNE’s home win over Sheffield Wednesday in February 2015, as well as PNE's last clash with a steel city side at Deepdale, 2014/15's FA Cup tie with Sheffield United. The win over the Owls was his last visit to Deepdale prior to January.

The official also refereed the Lilywhites Play-Off clash with Rotherham United in May 2014 as well as the previous season’s 3-2 home win over Ipswich Town, when Joe Garner scored a second half hat-trick as a substitute to knock the Tractor Boys out of the FA Cup at the fourth round stage.

His two previous league trips to Deepdale prior to that also saw wins, the famous 6-0 triumph over Cardiff City, which led to the Play-Offs in 2009 and a 2-1 win over West Brom the previous year, when the Lilywhites ended the game with nine men after the dismissal of both Youl Mawene and Chris Brown.

On Tuesday, Keith will be assisted by Sam Lewis and Jonathan Hunt, with Nigel Lugg acting as the fourth official. It will be Keith’s 27th game of the season, having so far issued 69 cautions and two red cards.

 

please log in to view this image

please log in to view this image

 

Ched 1 up stunner

 

1 all

 

2-1 down

 

Goals from Scott Malone and Mason Bennett gave Millwall the three points at The Den, despite a stunning opener from Ched Evans.

The striker gave PNE the lead with a 25-yard volley 12 minutes into the game, but Malone scored from 25 yards just before half-time and Bennett won it with a looping header in the final five minutes.

Manager Alex Neil made one enforced change, with skipper Alan Browne out with a minor injury, replaced by former Millwall loanee Jayson Molumby in the midfield, whilst there was a place for 17-year-old first-year scholar Lewis Leigh on the bench; Greg Cunningham taking the captaincy in Browne’s absence.


North End’s confidence, buoyed by the recent results started the game confidently and had much more of the ball in the first half.

They had already gone close through a Ben Whiteman free kick to the left of the penalty area, after
George Evans had fouled Brad Potts, before the opener.

But when the first goal came, on 12 minutes, it was a stunner. Molumby won the ball midway inside his own half and he played Scott Sinclair down the left, before drilling a ball across the field towards Anthony Gordon. It was headed up by Evans, but smashed home on the volley by Evans across Bartosz Bialkowski into the bottom right-hand corner from the edge of the ‘D’, for his third goal in a PNE shirt.

The hosts had been kept at arm’s length by the Lilywhites for much of the half, but with ten minutes to go before half-time a Shaun Hutchinson shot on the turn was needed to be blocked by Daniel Iversen with his legs, after a flick on by Jake Cooper from a free kick near half-way by the Lions.

And they drew level with six minutes to go before half-time and it looked the only way they were going to get back in the game – a superb strike. It began in their right back position with Mahlon Romeo, who switched play from right to left to find Malone, who drove to 25 yards out before unleashing a left-foot strike into the top left corner, giving Iversen no chance.

The second half began in a similar format, with North End having more possession and a corner from Whiteman on the right eventually fell to Andrew Hughes in the sixth minute of the half. His last PNE goal had come at The Den, but his strike on this occasion, from the edge of the penalty area, was over Bialkowski’s cross bar.

A long throw from Romeo, flicked on by Cooper to Jon Dadi Bodvarsson almost brought a chance for Millwall, but the header was straight at Iversen as the game entered its final quarter.

At the half’s mid-point a break down the right through Bodvarsson saw Gary Rowett’s side go close to a second, as he drilled a right-wing cross into the box to find the run of Mason Bennett, who beat Iversen, but saw his shot come off the top of the cross bar.

And the home side grabbed the lead with four minutes left. A long ball forward by Ryan Woods bounced in behind the PNE defence and Bennett got in and nodded the ball over Iversen into the empty net from 12 yards out.

Five minutes of stoppage time was added on by referee Keith Stroud with Emil Riis added to North End’s attacking options, but they were unable to earn the equaliser.

Millwall line-up: Bialkowski, Hutchinson (c), Cooper, Wallace, Romeo, Malone, Woods, Bennett (Thompson, 90), Bodvarsson (Smith, 86), Mitchell, G Evans. Subs not used: Fielding, Williams, Ferguson, Pearce, McNamara, Tiensia, Burey.

PNE line-up: Iversen, van den Berg, Cunningham (c), Whiteman, Storey, Hughes, Sinclair (Johnson, 80), Molumby, Evans, Potts (Riis, 89), Gordon (Barkhuizen, 58). Subs not used: Ripley, Bayliss, Rafferty, Huntington, Rodwell-Grant, Leigh.

Referee: Mr K Stroud

Millwall boss Gary Rowett: "It was the perfect response, although I didn't feel that way after about 25 minutes. As it tends to happen recently we don't start as well as I'd like.

"Going 1-0 down knocked our confidence a bit, I think, and we started going backwards and playing too slowly. Preston were set up to pick off the poor passes and counter-attack us.

"Beyond that I thought we were by far the better side and limited them to virtually nothing. It looked like only a matter of time for us to score and for 65 minutes, we looked excellent.

"In the Championship, most teams that go a goal up don't tend to go on and lose the game, but what we've done is show different ways to win a game."

Preston manager Alex Neil: "I don't think there was a lot in the game really. The biggest difference between us was that they were putting the ball in behind us and we were leaving it short so their centre-backs were in complete control.

"The first two goals were moments of quality from two players and for theirs, we back off, leave the space in front and he bangs it in the top corner, so I'll take responsibility for that one.

"But for the second one that is exactly what we didn't do and it cost us the game.

"It was arguably one of the worst games you've seen anyway, but I'd have taken a point - difficult venue, get a point, back up the road and let's focus on the next one. That's what it should've been."