Millwall 2 (Gueye 79, Hooiveld 87) Charlton 1 (Diarra 68).
Kevin Nolan reports from The Den.
The mismatch was obvious. It pitted 12th placed Charlton, free scoring winners of seven of their last nine games against relegation haunted Millwall, languishing in 23rd place and without a home win since October 25th. No contest really. Charlton were up against it.
Since Neil Harris took over, the Lions’ improvement had still to be rewarded with a win. And trailing 10-men Charlton 1-0 with eleven minutes left in this scruffy local derby, it seemed their wait would go on. Naturally, though, the Addicks couldn’t see it out. No change there then.
Millwall’s appointment of Harris might have been made just in time to save them. The blowhard rhetoric of his predecessor Ian Holloway had been sucking them inexorably into the relegation rapids. His “my way or the highway” ravings, the early-season demand that his players sign contracts of commitment, not to mention his cringeworthy claim to blood brotherhood with chairman John Berylson, were embarrassing enough. The adoption of a large black flat cap completed the ersatz Cockney image.
Before he made off with Berylson’s shilling, Holloway left Harris with a difficult task, which was eased by this dramatic victory over habitual patsies. It was gained the hard way over opponents who could hardly be accused of not trying but having less to lose, simply didn’t want it as much as these fully committed Lions. It’s an old, wearisome story.
Unchanged from the side which gave promotion seekers Brentford a large fright in their last fixture, Millwall bossed the early exchanges, with Lee Gregory an old-fashioned toecap away from converting Ed Upson’s fine cross. Upson himself should have done better than head a precise centre from Dan Harding over the bar while, at the other end, Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s angled delivery was turned into the sidenet by a straining Chris Eagles.
There wasn’t much in it before the dismissal just past the half hour of an unusually belligerent Chris Solly tipped the balance in Millwall’s favour. A brutal fusillade of point blank shots which saw Martyn Woolford’s drive blocked by Joe Gomez near the goalline and Jimmy Abdou’s follow-up effort similarly thwarted seemed to be resolved by the boom viciously lowered by Aiden O’Brien which beat Stephen Henderson. Behind his keeper Solly kept the ball out with either his face (his version) or an upflung arm (according to referee Mick Russell). Blood from a cut lip was offered as evidence of the right back’s innocence but received scant sympathy from Russell who pointed to the spot before ordering off Charlton’s captain. Once the mayhem subsided came the small matter of the penalty, which Gregory placed too near Henderson and was saved comfortably. An opportunity had been missed but Millwall’s consolation was easy to find. They now had an hour to break down ten men, something they found increasingly hard to do.
Henderson’s defiance continued with a splendid save at full length to turn aside a crisp shot on the turn from Upson and the keeper continued his fine work with another plunging stop to foil Shaun Williams after the break. Gudmundsson replied for the handicapped visitors by curling a snapshot narrowly wide before, halfway through the second period, the Addicks defied logic by grabbing the lead.
A more than capable deputy for Rhoys Wiggins recently, Morgan Fox’s ability to cross accurately is hardly a secret. The peach he delivered after checking inside from the left touchline was cleverly flicked across David Forde and neatly inside the far post by Alou Diarra. With Good Friday results favouring them elsewhere, Millwall’s big chance to make progress seemed to be eluding them. But they were far from finished as it turned out.
The arrival of Nicky Bailey, booed for some reason by the visiting fans, steadied the Lions. But it was another substitute, Magaye Gueye, who made the vital difference. His whiplashed shot from an awkward angle arrowed through legs and left Henderson helpless in finding the opposite bottom corner. It seemed that Charlton had snatched a draw from the jaws of victory; eight minutes later they went one worse by snatching defeat from the jaws of that draw. Gueye again caused panic and Jos Hooiveld prodded home the winger’s wayward shot through a crowded six-yard box. If you knew your history, the turnaround came as little surprise.
So plus ca bloody change…but at least it was Harris celebrating rather than that badge-kissing carpetbagger Holloway. Losing hurts but having him crow about it would be too much. Him and his “Millwall (or wherever he lays his hat), love it or leave it” shtick.
Millwall: Forde, Cummings, Hooiveld, Nelson, Harding (Maierhofer 69), Williams, Upson (Bailey 76), Abdou (Gueye 67), Woolford, Gregory, O’Brien. Not used: Archer, Dunne, Beevers, Taylor-Fletcher. Booked: Hooiveld, Woolford, Williams.
Charlton: Henderson, Solly, Gomez, Johnson, Fox, Cousins, Diarra, Gudmundsson, Eagles (Bikey 32), Vetokele (Bulot 72), Watt (Church 78). Not used: Dmitrovic, Wiggins, Lennon. Lepoint. Booked: Solly. Sent off: Solly.
Referee: Mick Russell. Att: 14,722 (2235 visiting).