No point worth mentioning
GARETH AINSWORTH took the positive of a rare clean sheet for Wycombe – but knows his rock-bottom side need to start winning games.
This was a point that helped neither side with their hopes at both ends of the table.
Wycombe slipped 11 points from safety at the foot of the league, while victory would have put Millwall within five points of the play-offs in 11th.
But Ainsworth was happy with a fifth clean sheet of the season after the heartache of losing to a 90th-minute goal against Derby in midweek.
The Chairboys boss said: “We could have done with three points but not losing was big after the boys were hard done by during the week. A clean sheet is a big positive away from home. We would have taken that at the start of the season but because of the situation we are in, three points would have been great.”
Ainsworth blamed the lack of quality on a poor pitch but the opening 25 minutes only troubled the planes on the
Heathrow flight path above. When the ball fell to a playable height, Matt Smith went close.
At the other end Anis Mehmeti’s 20-yarder forced Bartosz Bialkowski into action.
Chairboys winger Daryl Horgan then stung the palms of Bialkowski after Millwall’s Ben Thompson tested the sturdiness of the cardboard cut-outs in the North Stand.
The second half was more appealing, but only due to the amount of penalty appeals.
Lions boss Gary Rowett said:
“I don’t think Wycombe troubled us apart from the odd set-piece but we could not convert our possession into enough chances on goal.”
MILLWALL: Bialkowski 6; Hutchinson 6, Evans 6, Pearce 6; Romeo 7, Woods 6, Thompson 6 (Bodvarsson 85), Malone 7; J Wallace 6 (Ferguson 85), Smith 6 (Bradshaw 63, 6), Bennett 6 (Mitchell 63, 6).
Unused Subs: Fielding, Williams, Mcnamara, Tiensia, Burey.
WYCOMBE: Stockdale 6; Grimmer 6, Stewart 7, Tafazoli 6, Obita 7; Wheeler 6, Knight 6, Mehmeti 6; Onyedinma 6, Ikpeazu 6 (Muskwe 85), Horgan 6 (Mccleary 76).
Unused Subs: Anderson, Gape, Kashket, Adeniran, Samuel, Mccarthy, Ofoborth.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Anthony Stewart. Solid presence at the heart of the Wycombe defence.
REFEREE: Jarred Gillett 6.
READING MIDDLESBROUGH 3 ........ Shots on Target ......... 5 7 ........ Shots off Target .......... 1 5 ................ Corners ................. 4 8 .................. Fouls .................. 17 2 ............... Offsides ................. 4 77.4 . Passing Success %... 60.1 491 ....... Total Passes ........ 283 63.3 ..... Possession % ..... 36.7 41.6 ..Territorial Adv % ..58.4
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RUSSELL MARTIN hailed his side’s battling qualities but warned they cannot perform so poorly again.
Andrew Surman, Will Grigg, Cameron Jerome and Charlie Brown struck for MK Dons with Fraser Horsfall, Ryan Watson and Peter Kioso netting for Northampton.
Martin said: “I’m really pleased we won but there is a lot to learn and we can’t be that poor again.”
Northampton caretaker boss Jon Brady said “We got carried away and decided to go gung-ho and got carved open.”
1 1 DARRELL CLARKE was satisfied with a point from his first game in charge of Port Vale.
Clarke, who was brought in from fellow League Two club Walsall this week, saw David Worrall put his new side in front before Orient levelled through Dan Kemp. “Can we play a lot better? I think we can,” Clarke said. “We showed that little bit of quality, but obviously we want to see a lot more of that.”
Orient coach Ross Embleton said: “We created some good opportunities.”