After the loss of Stewart for the rest of the season and our failure to replace him or get Simms back there's been a certain amount of gloom amidst the buzz that last Saturday's performance gave us but I heard last night that Pritchard and Cirkin will be travelling down to London for this game and may even play some part.
It's going to be a tough one as Millwall are currently one point above us with a game in hand. They'll also have Honeyman and the recently-signed Watmore in their squad and I never like former players facing us. I wasn't able to get a ticket for the match but am hoping to enjoy it in the company of other members of the London Branch. Match prediction: 2-2.
I got the team-news about twenty minutes before kick-off and was pleased to see that Gelhardt was starting up front while Pritchard and Cirkin were on the bench. Honeyman was starting for them and Watmore was among the subs.
We were awarded two free-kicks in the first minute or so and then won the first corner as we did most of the early pressing. Millwall were quickly up the other end shouting for a penalty but referee Thomas Bramall wasn’t having any. Millwall were speedy on the break and next thing we escaped when a low Bennett shot went just wide of our left post. In the fourteenth minute a great back-heel from Roberts set up a chance for Gelhardt on the edge of their box but it just didn’t fall right for him to get a shot off. As ever, Amad was weaving his magic down the right and I felt it was about to reap dividends. The ref was being kept busy and I’d soon lost track of the number of free-kicks. In the twenty-sixth minute Amad was tripped and for some reason a free-kick was awarded to Millwall.
Next thing I thought Millwall had taken the lead when Patterson failed to hold a Flemming shot from the edge of the box and Honeyman was in the right place to tap the rebound home but thankfully it was ruled out – it took a while for that decision to reach me but good things are worth waiting for. There was a bit of handbags involving Ballard when a Millwall player got too personal with Patto as he held a cross and in the following minutes both Cooper and Bennett were yellow-carded. With ten minutes to the break we’d been quiet upfront for a while but our defence was looking pretty solid. With a minute to go we conceded a corner and when it came across Cresswell skied it over the bar. Millwall had been appealing for a penalty and they may have had some justification but it wasn’t given. It remained goalless as the half-time whistle went and I felt rather relieved to hear it.
Within a minute of the restart Amad had won us a corner but, as usual, it came to nothing. Watmore had replaced Bennett and he was shouting for a penalty as Patto raced out to intercept the ball but again the ref wasn’t having it. Seven minutes in, there was a clash of heads involving Alese and Honeyman and play was stopped for a good while. Both players were able to carry on but with a lump or two for their pains. We were under the cosh but holding on and in the fifty-eighth minute Patto made a great save to tip a Honeyman shot round the post. We didn’t survive the ensuing corner, though, as Cooper shot home off the inside of the right post.
We promptly brought on Pritchard for Clarke and not long after that Cirkin for Alese. Millwall were packing their defence when necessary and we couldn’t find a way through despite some impressive approach play. As we entered the final fifteen minutes we were enjoying a good period of attacking play and of course there was plenty of time to nick an equaliser. In the eightieth minute Saville was booked for a foul near the left angle of their box and when Pritchard took the kick it was headed home by Cirkin. There wasn’t much celebrating by our players as Cirkin took a good bash in the process but he looked okay after a while. He wasn’t able to continue, though, and we made another two changes bringing on Ekwah and Anderson for him and Michut. We were still pressing forward and in the dying minutes of normal time we brought on Ba for Gelhardt . Six minutes of stoppage-time were announced, unsurprisingly, and either side could steal it as they went at it hammer and tongs. Batth went down injured in the final minute but soon got up and into things again and then it was all over.
This was a very well-fought point against a tough Millwall side so I’m happy that we battled back to get it. Just hope Cirkin is okay.
