Having reached the final of the F.A. Cup at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium last season where, like the Shrimpers, the Londoners crashed to a defeat against higher division opposition in Manchester United, Millwall failed to capitalise on a play-off position in early March and find themselves battling it out with the likes of Southend’s Carling Cup first round opposition West Ham United and relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers in the renamed ‘The Championship’.
As part of their preparations for this season, the Lions lined up a pre-season tour of Canada, and they had mixed results before returning home at the start of this week. TLG take a look a the games that the first eleven took part in:
Vancouver Metro All-Stars 1 (Mike Gomes 56) Millwall 2 (Paul Ifill 36, Barry Cogan 44)
Millwall team: Graham Stack (Terry Masterson), Alan Dunne, Matthew Lawrence (Joe Dolan), Darren Ward, David Livermore, Barry Cogan, Marvin Elliott (Curtis Weston), Morris, Gareth Farrelly (Peter Sweeney), Neil Harris (Kevin Braniff), Paul Ifill.
The Lions enjoyed a day in the long grass as the overgrown surface at the Coquitlam Stadium caused a bit if a stir on the Englishmen’s first match on foreign soil – all good practice for their impending UEFA Cup campaign. Goalkeeper Graham Stack, on loan from Premiership champions Arsenal, made a couple of decent saves from Mark Gomes in the first period, but nine minutes from the end of the half it was the south Londoners that were in front, with Paul Ifill converting Neil Harris’ square pass with a simple tap-in after good work from Gareth Farrelly.
Farrelly was again involved in the second just minutes later as he sprinted down the flank and helped Irishman Barry Cogan convert with a cool finish. It didn’t take long in the second period for a momentary lack of concentration to allow Mike Gomes the chance to bring the All-Stars back into the match, and although they survived a late scare, Millwall were on the board for the season.
Canada 1 (Olivier Occean 2) Millwall 0
Millwall slumped to defeat in their second pre-season clash, when front man Olivier Occean netted for the host nation after just one minute and fifty seconds. Just eleven minutes later matters got a whole lot worse for the Lions as their skipper, Matty Lawrence, was sent off, but despite that, goalkeeper Stack kept his team in the match with a string of fine saves. Kevin Braniff wasted the visitors best chance at the end, by which time Stack had roamed up field to play up front with Terry Masterson between the sticks.
Millwall 1 (Peter Sweeney 25) Heart of Midlothian 1 (Stephen Pressley 26 [pen])
Millwall team: Graham Stack (Andy Marshall), Marvin Elliott (Alan Dunne), David Livermore (Joe Dolan), Matthew Lawrence, Darren Ward (Paul Ifill), Barry Cogan (Kevin Braniff), Gareth Farrelly, Morris, Daniele Dichio, Neil Harris, Peter Sweeney.
The final game of their pre-season tour saw the Lions complete the set – a win, a defeat and then a draw gleaned at the Swangard Stadium in Canada. Peter Sweeney opened the scoring for the Englishmen, chipping Hearts custodian Craig Gordon with a flighted ball into the top corner of the net. However, the lead was short-lived, with Scottish international Stephen Pressley converting a penalty after Marvin Elliott was adjudged to have fouled Mark de Vries.
Hearts defender Jamie McAllister almost handed Millwall the lead when his sliced clearance rebounded off of his own crossbar, before just after the interval the Londoners could have been handed a penalty of their own when Barry Cogan was brought down by a clumsy challenge. Neil Harris hacked wide and Danny Dichio produced a good save out of Gordon, but it was left to Andy Marshall, the former Norwich City and Ipswich Town goalkeeper, to preserve a share of the spoils with a confident stop from a powerful de Vries effort.
Robert Craven
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