26/12/15 At home to Walsall who are sitting pretty near the top
28/12/15 Away to Southend who are in 7th spot
We sit just outside the play-offs and it's three tough games on the trot and hopefully at least seven points to set us up nicely for the new year.
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Millwall 0 Gillingham 3, League One, Game 21, 19/12/15 att: 12,032 (away 1,607)
'Oh dear, It didn't take long before we 2-0 down and reduced to ten men. We were playing like we were at the bottom of the League as in the " good old days" and we went behind in the 20th minute when Gillingham were awarded a free kick after Mark Beevers fouled. The 2nd goal was a result of a basic defending mistake when Jordan Archer and Mark Beevers both left each other to clear the ball but neither one did and it resulted in Archer feeling the need to foul the Gillingham player McDonald and a red card followed. I had my head in my hands and so did a good few others looking looking at this and this was two bob stuff. Gillingham scored from the resulting penalty and we were 2-0 down after 28 minutes. With David Forde now in between the sticks we had a bit of a mountain to climb and the end of the first half couldn't come quick enough.
Second half and we improve but nowhere near enough to get something from the game
Millwall: Archer (Forde 25m), Edwards, J.Martin, Beevers (Onyedinma 82m), Webster, Upson, Saville, Williams, Gregory Morison, O'Brien
subs not used, L.Martin, Ferguson, Thompson, Abdou, Nelson
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Gillingham: Nelson, Jackson (Osadeba 69m), Garmstone, Egan, Hessenthaler, McDonald (Donnelly 46m), Samuel (Norris 90+6), A.Morris, Dack, Wright, Oshilaja
subs not use, G.Morris, Ehmer, Houghton, McGlashan
Goals: Samuel 20,89m Dack 28m
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Millwall 0 Walsall 1, League One, Game 22, 26/12/15, att: 8,364 (248)
Walsall go top of the division after this narrow win but we should have got t least a point from this game. Walsall dominated the first half with plenty of possession football and looked pretty stroking it about amongst themselves. Some of Walsall's finishing was woeful and apart from Walsall's Sean O'Driscoll's possession football tactics we were not out bossed or out played throughout this match. We were crap in the first half of this game and looking at the starting line up with five changes after the Gillingham defeat it land Walsall taking the lead it looked like another thumping at home was on the cards.We finished the half 1-0 down after Walsall scored that only goal of the game on 29 minutes when Sid Nelson miss-read a long ball. We did have chances our selves in this first half and what seems to be a common concurrence is woeful officials that are really getting our backs up which in a strange way produces some of our most intense noise and the Lions better play. " No one likes us...............
Forever optimistic
Once again like the Gillingham game we improved second half and could have equalised after a few minutes when a Aiden O'Brien effort was tipped round for a corner. We had opportunities scattered across the half but just could not provide that effort, that little bit of magic that was going to the job and frustrating for all as Walsall still could have punished us more with one of their break-aways There was always a chance being just the one goal but we could not manage it.
That's two home defeats on the spin and I am well off with my 7 point prediction. Is there a chance of getting all three at Southend in a couple of days time? With Millwall there is always a chance and recovery will be a major factor after such a short space of time between games. Let's wait and see.
Millwall: Forde, Edwards, Martin (Pavey 75m), Nelson, Beevers, Abdou, Williams, Ferguson, 0'Brien, Morison, Onyedinma (Upson 68m),
subs not used, King, Cummings, Webster, Saville, Thompson
Walsall: Etheridge, Demtriou, Taylor (Kinsella 46m), O'Conner, Downing, Chambers, Sawyers, Forde, Lalkovic (Preston 88m), Morris (Cook 71m), Evans
subs not used, Roberts, Mantom, Baxendale, Flanagan
Goal: Lalkovic 29 mins
Southend 0 Millwall 4, League One, Game 23, att: 10,099 ( we take away 1,745 )
POINTS COME AT LAST
Back at a Roots Hall after a short time and we are back with our winning ways. That's six goals scored against Southend in our last two games at their place and once again we take a large away support. Aiden O'Brien is back on the score sheet with his 10th goal of the season and he's prediction of ten goals at Christmas was a little bit out but he has achieved ten before the new year which is top drawer for a bloke not long out of the Academy. Southend hadn't been beaten in eight games in the league so this 4-0 thumping of the Shrimps is even more impressive considering that the last time we won a league game was the 1-0 against Bury way back on the 28th of November.
Neil Harris changed things again in this game with Sid Nelson and Carlos Edwards rested and they were replaced by Bryon Webster and Shaun Cummings. George Saville was back in midfield joined by Ed Upson and the recently back to fitness Jimmy Abdou and Loanee Shane Ferguson dropped to back on the bench.
As soon as the whistle went we were up and at them forcing corners one after the other but we did not score our first goal to the 27th minute when young Fred Onyedinma set up Joe Martin who 15 yards out smacked a shot low to the ground that flew in off the post. The large travelling support behind the Southend goal hit the rafters and they were to be shortly on another two occasions be treated to more cheers of happiness as the Lions go in at half time 3-0 up with these two goals scored by Cummings
(off the post then off the keeper) and then Fred getting one of his own when he picked up a rebound after a shot by Steve Morison and drilled it into the Southend goal.
1700 go home happy
Southend made changes for the start of the second half and by the 9th minute had changed three players with Phil Brown looking and probably hoping for a change of fortune. The change of fortune did not happen and although Southend finally had a spell of worthwhile pressure it was Millwall who got the fourth. Steve Morison passed a peach of a ball to Aiden O'Brien and as mentioned earlier buried a slick low shot into the corner of the net at that was that. 1700 go home happy and thousands elsewhere finally have some football cheer over the Christmas period.That's 34 points, 9th in the table, our 10th league win of the season and still only three points outside the last play-off spot
Millwall: Forde, Cummings, Martin, Beevers, Webster, Onyedinma (Ferguson 86m), Saville, Williams, Upson, Morison (Pavey 88m0, O'Brien (Thompson 80m)
subs not used, Archer, Nelson, Philpot, Abdou
Goals: Martin 27m, Cummings 35m, Onyedinma 45+1m, O'Brien 70m
Southend: Bentley, White, Coker (McLaughlin 46m), Thompson, Worral (Deegan 46m), Mooney, Payne, Atkinson, Hunt (Piggot 54m), Leonard, Barrett
subs not used, Smith, Prosser, Hurst, Rea
