KNIFE ‘N’ EASY FOR MENDED GREGORY
Comeback kid cuts-up Bradford
MEDICAL miracle Lee Gregory notched his 27th goal of the season as Millwall held off Bradford to book their place at Wembley.
Three weeks ago, the 27-year-old feared he would miss the play-offs entirely after going under the knife for a long-running stomach problem.
But after netting a crucial equaliser in the Lions’ 3-1 first leg triumph at Valley Parade, the former Halifax striker whipped home from Steve Morison’s clever pass to kill Bradford’s hopes of a comeback stone dead.
Though the Bantams equalised through Jamie Proctor, they never had the firepower to threaten Millwall’s immaculate back four and as a raucous crowd exploded onto the Den, manager Neil Harris hailed his fitagain front man.
“For Lee to be out there playing says a lot about Lee’s character,” said Harris, whose side will now meet Barnsley on Sunday.
“He had a problem for a long time and couldn’t really train. But he still played, and he still scored, which tells you just how good he is.
“He put it off and put it off, until in the end he couldn’t go anymore.We took a gamble with the procedure.We just had to hope he’d be back in two-and-a-half, three weeks.
“Thankfully he recovered very quickly and he was fantastic tonight. Him and Steve, along with Aiden O’Brien, they’ve been talismen for us.
“They’re a joy to work with and we do a huge amount with them on the training ground. I put the sessions on and try to make it enjoyable, but it’s them who drive it. Repetitive training drills, long hours. But they get their reward in goals and nights like tonight.”
Victory was also a fitting reward for the 16,000 home fans who bellowed out a 90minute wall of noise.
Bantams boss Phil Parkinson felt referee Tim Robinson had been intimidated, especially in rejecting a Tom Thorpe penalty appeal, but Harris – the Lions’ all-time record goalscorer who played 432 times on this pitch – said that was exactly what they are there to do.
“I thought it was electric,” he said. “I thought it was hostile. I thought it was a top-drawer crowd. You want a Millwall crowd to influence what happens on the pitch, of course you do.
“That’s what has made us so good over the years. I thought they were brilliant tonight and showed how much they’ve missed the good times over these past few years.”
The din was incessant, the party atmosphere in full swing. For Millwall, though, it was all business.
Buoyed by a two-goal cushion, the players might have been tempted to put on a show, but the most striking aspect of their play was its concentration and discipline.
Once Gregory had struck – low to Ben Williams’ left after Morison had skilfully weaved through – the home side dropped deep and refused to yield an inch.
Jimmy Abdou and Ben Thompson soaked up space. Wingers Chris Taylor and Shane Ferguson became auxiliary full-backs. The back four held firm, inspired by a majestic display of aerial dominance and physical power from Byron Webster.
“Millwall are a good team at sitting back,” lamented Parkinson. “They’ve had those two banks of four all season.
“They’ve got two six-foot-five centre halves who defend on the edge of the box. A midfield right on top of them. They love doing that and with a lead to protect, we couldn’t break them down.”
That said, Bradford did have one chance to set Millwall nerves jangling. Having collected Kyel Reid’s through ball to finish at the second attempt, Proctor was almost immediately played clean through.
Had he pulled the trigger, the Bantams might have gone into half-time a goal up. But he hesitated, the chance was lost, and Bradford never mustered another meaningful attack.
For Parkinson and the club’s supporters, it was a frustrating end to the season, but the former Charlton boss believes he has seen enough to suggest that Bradford can challenge for greater honours next term.
“The damage was done in the first 45 minutes at home.We gave ourselves too much to do,” he said. “But the lads have been terrific this season and we’ve made progress again.
“We’re five points shy of being an automatic promotion team this year.We had a poor start, for a variety of reasons. But in the final 36 games of the season we took 70 points. We’re not a million miles away.”