STANDING START Baggies new boys just onlookers in stalemate
PROMOTION favourites West Brom laboured for a point while their four deadline day signings watched from the stands.
The nearest proven goalscorer Charlie Austin, midfielder Grady Diangana, striker Chris Willcock and winger Matheus Pereira got to playing was to go on the pitch at half time and wave to the crowd.
But Albion boss Slaven Bilic defended his decision to leave them out.
He said: “I have no regrets at not starting any of the four. They are not ready.
“They only had their medicals on Thursday night. They trained yesterday and it would have been a totally unserious approach to the game to play them.
“It’s too early. It’s not the World Cup, we don’t play just four games.
“Some didn’t even train with the first team because they were waiting for transfers.” Millwall are back at The Hawthorns on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup and Bilic hints his new boys will get a game then.
“I would love them to be involved on Tuesday although that is also a serious game, we will have serious approach to that competition,” he added.
The Croatian kept the team that won on the opening day at Nottingham Forest but the Baggies never looked slick enough to beat stubborn Millwall.
The goal Albion got was a scruffy one. Matt Phillips’ 57th-minute free-kick was excellent and for once Millwall were undone in defence.
West Brom’s Kyle Bartley claimed he headed it in as Millwall’s central-defensive duo of Alex Pearce and Jake Cooper went for the ball as well.
But the final touch came off Pearce although Milwall manager Neil Harris said: “For me it’s Bartley’s goal.
“His header was on target, but whether it got a touch off someone else I don’t’ know.”
But there’s no doubt who WEST BROM MILLWALL 4 ........ Shots on Target ......... 2 2 ........ Shots off Target .........6 8 ................Corners ..................1 17 ................. Fouls .................. 15 1 ................ Offsides ................ 0 88.2 . Passing Success .... 62.1 595 ...... Total Passes ........ 224 72.5........Possession .........27.5 49.2.. Territorial Adv%...50.8 got Millwall’s deserved game-saver. There were 15 minutes left and the Baggies, already a bit desperate, couldn’t get the ball out of their own penalty area.
Matt Smith, on 11 minutes earlier as a sub, got the ball and just blasted it past West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone.
Harris said: “Smith was a handful, wasn’t he?
“I’m delighted for him. He could have had eight in preseason, I’ve never seen someone with such bad luck.
“Smith is a player who can score a lot of goals for us the way we play. He is good at what he does.
“People can’t cope with pace, clever players… people know what Smith can do as well but it’s hard to stop.”