Rams mauled by Harris’s hungry Lions

WHEN the crowd at The Den smell a hint of weakness, they demand their side go for the jugular. They did just that on Saturday, almost bullying Frank Lampard’s big-spending Derby County into submission. How satisfying this scalp must be for Millwall, too. It was a triumph of substance over style, gained through the graft and grunt of a playing staff assembled for a meagre amount. And of course, given that it was the former West Ham and Chelsea man in the opposition dugout, this victory was that little bit sweeter. ‘The underdog tag suits us,’ midfielder Shaun Williams said of Neil Harris’s side, who spent £900,000 in the transfer market, compared to Derby’s £10million. ‘There are teams spending millions on big wages, and we’re just a hardworking bunch of lads. If you don’t come down here with the right attitude, then you aren’t going to walk away with the points. ‘It’s not a nice ground to come to,’ Williams said, and picked out 18-year-old Jayden Bogle for special mention. ‘I think the right back was making his Football League debut. He was in for it.’ From the start, Derby shakily tried to pass their way up the field, with Millwall harrying and hustling their backline. The home crowd willed on their side, and they got their rewards when, after seven minutes, Lee Gregory glanced in Williams’ free-kick. Millwall’s tireless pressing saw Derby squander possession in the 20th minute with the ball bouncing towards Williams, whose 30-yard rocket cannoned off Derby’s Fikayo Tomori and into the back of f the net. The Rams managed to regain a foothold in the game through a secondhalf strike from David Nugent, but the damage had already been done. ‘You can pass the ball as much as you want but if you pass slowly like we did in the first t half then it’s no good,’ warned Lampard after two successive Championship defeats s where his side have been caught short distributing from the back. ‘We’ve lost two games now, but we’re not going to panic. I’m enjoying it. It’s not been n easy, it’s taxing, but in a good way.’