Lions will sleep well
3
MILLWALL
M Wallace 10, Bradshaw 41, Evans 73 BIRMINGHAM
Deeney 56
STEVE JUDGE
GARY ROWETT hailed the brains behind Millwall’s most complete win of the season against a Birmingham side lacking the required brawn.
The Lions took control with two top-quality first-half corners converted by Murray Wallace and Tom Bradshaw.
Troy Deeney got Birmingham back in the game on 56 minutes – but George Evans sealed a deserved three points with an equally stunning 73rd-minute strike.
Coaches Adam Barrett and Paul Robinson were applauded by Jed Wallace and Benik Afobe after their 10th-minute short corner saw Evans’ shot blocked before Murray Wallace fired in.
The second was all about Scott Malone’s near-post delivery which Bradshaw
(above) finished with a net-bulging header. Lions boss Rowett said: “It was a complete performance.
“To get two set-pieces shows the importance of them. Adam has worked incredibly hard with Robbo and the staff on the set-pieces.”
A high-tempo start was only halted when the ball was kicked out so that both sets of players and fans could give a minute’s applause to mark the tragic death of six-year-old Birmingham fan Arthur Labinjo-Hughes.
Manager Lee Bowyer called this Deeney’s best game of the season, topped with a stunning finish. But the Blues stopped playing again after that and Evans smashed Danny McNamara’s pull-back into the top-left corner to finish them off.
Bowyer said: “This is a difficult place to play. A hostile crowd and if you do not fight and compete you will lose the game. We were too soft.
“But it was a great goal from Troy. It was the best game he has played at the club.”
MILLWALL: Bialkowski 6; Hutchinson 7, Cooper 7, M Wallace 7; McNamara 8, Mitchell 9, Evans 8, Malone 8 (Pearce 86); J Wallace 8 (Kieftenbeld 83), Afobe 7, Bradshaw 8 (Bennett 89). Subs not used: Long, Smith, Ojo, Saville.
BIRMINGHAM: Etheridge 6; Sanderson 6, Roberts 5, Pedersen 5; Graham 6, Sunjic 7, James 6, Bela 5 (Jutkiewicz 46, 6); McGree 5; Hogan 5 (Aneke 80), Deeney 8. Subs not used: Trueman, Friend, Dean, Castillo, Hall.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Billy Mitchell: Dominated the midfield keeping Millwall on the front foot.
REFEREE: Andy Woolmer 6.