Double’s a tasty starter for big Mac
MILLWALL ..4 BARNSLEY ...1
DANNY McNAMARA was urged to shoot on sight after his first goals in senior English football kept Millwall’s play-off hopes alive.
The homegrown wing-back waited until his 50th game to bag a matchwinning double.
He broke his duck in the 31st minute when he slotted in Jed Wallace’s low cross from the left.
McNamara doubled the advantage on 47 minutes to head home Scott Malone’s far-post cross.
His strikes had fans shouting “shoot” every time he touched the ball.
The fun ended when McNamara was hooked but was rewarded with a standing ovation from the crowd, with Lions boss Garry Rowett denying he was being a party-pooper.
He said: “We’ve waited a long time for Danny’s first goal, then he goes and scores his second one pretty quickly.
“Paul Robinson has been working with Danny to get him in at the back post. He had a tight hamstring and asked to come off. I’m not such a misery I’d try to stop him scoring a hat-trick.”
Barnsley boss Poya Asbaghi said: “That was our worst performance defensively since I came.”
The Tykes lost keeper Brad Collins after 24 minutes and there was a suspicion of offside for Millwall’s opener.
But McNamara ghosted in at the back to head home on 47 minutes.
Oliver Burke turned the ball in from close range on 58 minutes before Benik Afobe cracked in an angled shot to seal the win in the 72nd minute.
MILLWALL: Bialkowski 7; Ballard 7, Cooper 8, M Wallace 7; McNamara 9 (Leonard 81st), Kieftenbeld 8, Mitchell 8, Malone 8; J Wallace 8 (Bradshaw 81st), Afobe 7, Burke 7 (Burey 77th)
BARNSLEY: Collins 5 (Walton (24th) 6; Brittain 6, Andersen 6, Kitching 6, Vita 6; Styles 6 (Adeboyejo (61st) 6), Palmer 7 (Iseka (71st) 6, Gomes 6; Bassi 6, Morris 7, Quina 6
STAR MAN: Danny McNamara
REF: O Langford