Rowett boys end their away daze
GARY ROWETT felt his Millwall team crossed a psychological bridge with their first Championship away success this season.
Tom Bradshaw fired the visitors in front just before break, reacting quickest to shoot home after his diving header had been well saved by Max O’Leary.
City hit back in the 71st minute, Lions skipper Shaun Hutchinson turning the ball into his own net as he stretched to try and intercept substitute Cameron Pring’s low cross.
But five minutes later an error by O’Leary as he failed to collect a high ball on the edge of his box allowed Zian Flemming to slot into an unguarded net.
O’Leary saved a penalty from Lions sub Benik Afobe late on but that did nothing to mar Rowett’s delight.
He said: “Winning away is hugely symbolic for us. There was a little bit of a psychological block building up.
“The longer a run like we we’re on continues, the harder it is to end. You start to get nervous at crucial times in games.
“Coming to face a team with their tails up after winning in the week, we knew exactly what we had to do and I felt we managed the game well.”
City were left to rue defensive blunders and a lack of cutting edge as they failed to build on the midweek win over Preston.
Boss Nigel Pearson said: “It was the same old story of gifting poor goals and making some very strange decisions on the pitch. One at the end led to us conceding a penalty.
“It is so frustrating to go from an encouraging midweek victory to another hit and miss performance.” BRISTOL CITY: O’Leary 6; Vyner 5
(Kadji (90) 5), Klose 6 (Kalas (60) 6), Atkinson 5; Sykes 5 (Wells (6) 6), Scott 5, Williams 6, Dasilva 6 (Pring (67)
7); Weimann 6; Semenyo 7, Conway 5 (Martin (60) 6)
MILLWALL: Long 7; McNamara 7, Hutchinson 7, Cooper 8, Wallace 7; Mitchell 6 (Styles (61) 6), Saville 7; Voglsammer 7 (Shackleton (87) 6), Flemming 7 (Evans (87) 6), Burey 6 (Honeyman (61) 6); Bradshaw 7 (Afobe (77) 5)
STAR MAN: Jake Cooper – The Millwall defender was strong in the air and commanding on the ground.
REF: Gavin Ward 8