By Alex Grace
MILLWALL extended their unbeaten start to the 2020-21 season to four matches in all competitions after a 1-0 win against Rotherham United at The New York Stadium.
Gary Rowett’s side were below par in the first half as the hosts dominated but failed to make it count.
Jed Wallace won it for Millwall five minutes into the second half as he pounced on an defensive error from Millers captain Michael Ihiekwe.
Main match action
5’ Millwall break down the right-hand side, Mason Bennett’s ball into the box only finds Jed Wallace whose cross is headed away.
10’ Freddie Ladapo breaks free from Ryan Leonard and Ryan Woods in central midfield, he finds Joe Mattock whose cross is aimed for Michael Smith at the back post, but Bart Bialkowski claims the ball before it reaches the striker.
16’ Dangerous Rotherham corner is cleared off the line by Alex Pearce. The Millers look a dangerous side when they go forward and at set-pieces.
20’ Chiedozie Ogbene does well to beat Scott Malone before advancing and cutting the ball back to Ladapo, but he scuffs his shot wide of the far post.
24’ Mason Bennett is dragged down by Millers captain Michael Ihiekwe. Malone curls the free-kick wide of the near post.
31’ Mahlon Romeo does really well as he plays Jed Wallace through. but his shot is blocked by the Rotherham defence for a corner that the hosts deal with comfortably.
45’ Dangerous cross comes in from Ogbene, but Smith gets the header all wrong. A big let-off for Millwall.
HT: Rotherham 0-0 Millwall
50’ GOAL! Millwall are a lot more aggressive at the start of the second period. Ihiekwe gets stuck under the ball and Jed Wallace races through, takes the ball around Jamal Blackman and slots the into an empty net.
59’ Millwall have started the second half a lot brighter and on the front foot a lot more than they were in the first half. The ball breaks for Jed Wallace in the centre of the box but his first-time effort is just wide of the near post.
64’ A nice set-piece by the hosts, after the initial ball is cleared another one comes in which Jamie Lindsay meets and Bialkowski is forced to get down well to hold the effort.
68’ The Lions keeper is forced into another save. Joe Mattock volleys from the edge of the area and the Pole, who sees it late, scrambles it wide for a corner.
74’ Double substitution for Millwall. Murray Wallace and Shaun Williams replace Malone and Romeo. That means that Ryan Leonard will now move to right wing-back.
76’ Free-kick for Rotherham is claimed brilliantly by Bialkowski. He then releases the ball and Millwall charge up the field but Jed Wallace shoots over.
82’ Matt Smith replaces Bennett.
90’ Jed Wallace concedes a needless free-kick that the Millwall defence just about manage to clear.
90+2’ Long throw into the Millwall box is cleared away but Jed Wallace has just fouled George Hirst. A free-kick in a dangerous position that Bialkowski punches away for late corner. But Jake Cooper heads the delivery away and the full-time whistle blows.
FT: Rotherham 0-1 Millwall
Rotherham dominate early on
Millwall really struggled early on. Rotherham certainly came out of the traps the faster of the two sides. Had their end product been better they could have been in front after 20 minutes.
Ogbene was causing the Lions all sorts of problems. He did brilliantly well to deceive Malone and then provide the cut-back for Ladapo who opened up his body too much and ended up scuffing his effort past the far post. Pearce was also forced to clear a dangerous corner off the line inside the opening 20 minutes.
Lack of support for Bradshaw
Tom Bradshaw was an isolated figure up front in the first half. On several occasions Millwall would manage to get the ball up to the striker but he was unable to retain possession against two big centre-halves.
Neither Jed Wallace nor Bennett were able to get close enough to the former Barnsley striker who was left to do a lot of work on his own, leaving him looking like a frustrated figure.
Jed Wallace ends goal drought
It’s been a long time coming for Wallace. January 28 was the last time he had found the net for Millwall – the penalty that put Millwall 2-0 up in the 3-2 defeat at Elland Road. You could see how much it meant to him and the rest of the players with the celebrations. It was also clear to see how much of a confidence boost it gave him.
Team News
Gary Rowett made three changes from last Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Stoke City at The Den. Romeo returned at right wing-back and that allowed Leonard to move into midfield where he partnered the returning Ryan Woods who replaced Shaun Williams in the side.
Bradshaw was preferred up front in place of Jon Dadi-Bodvarsson who was on the bench.
Millwall: 5-2-3: Bialkowski; Romeo (Williams74), Hutchinson, Pearce, Cooper, Malone (M Wallace 74); Leonard, Woods; Bennett (Smith 82), Bradshaw, J Wallace.
Image: Millwall FC