HOWE MAULED BY LIONS PRIDE
FEARLESS Millwall took advantage of 11 Bournemouth changes, knocking the top-flight side out of The Emirates FA Cup with a bewitching blend of passion and hard work. JOB DONE: Shaun Cummings demanding. We rely on teamwork and building relationships. We didn’t have that cohesion. There were a lot of new signings and we didn’t gel.”
Shane Ferguson added a third on the break with the Den cheering on every pass made by the 2004 finalists, and Howe praised the home support.
He said: “Whenever you come here, you expect an atmosphere. It’s just noise, we have to be more composed and better on the ball.”
Harris added: “I’d like to be at home next round. I’d swap this for three points against Charlton next week, because the game is that big for us, but I’d like to be at the Den.
“I’m not fussed against who.” MILLWALL: (4-4-2): Archer 6, Cummings 7, Hutchinson 7, Webster 7, Craig 6, Onyedinma 8 (Worrall 75 7), Thompson 8, Williams 7, O’Brien 7 (Ferguson 53 7), Gregory 7 (Butcher 84 6), Morison 8 Subs not used: King, Romeo, Abdou, Smith BOURNEMOUTH: (4-2-3-1): Federici 6, Lee 5 (C Wilson 46 6), M Wilson 6, Mings 7, Smith 6 (S Cook 73 6), Surman 7, Hyndman 4 (Gosling 56 6), Grabban 6, Ibe 6, Pugh 5, Mousset 4 Subs not used: Allsop, Simpson, L Cook, O’Connell advance from right-back as Morison tested keeper Adam Federici, his rebound turned in by the speculating Cummings.
Bournemouth continued to frustrate their fans in the face of a rapidly-tiring Millwall, best summed up by Callum Wilson netting in injury time, only to be denied by an offside flag.
There were no clear-cut away chances in the last 30 minutes, despite rising possession and Eddie Howe had no complaints.
“I’ve made changes before and we’ve gone on runs, but we have to make a sacrifice,” said the Bournemouth boss.
“The majority of those players have all played in the Premier League, but not at the same time. The players will be fine but collectively, we weren’t strong enough.”
Despite bringing on Wilson, Dan Gosling and Steve Cook over the course of the game, Bournemouth never posed a threat. But Howe defended his selection. He said: “Hands are tied a little with the Premier League being so every game they play and Morison is a talisman for us.”
The Premier League side showed some neat passing but with little end product, never testing Jordan Archer.
An early missed second-half opportunity for Lys Mousset cost the Cherries badly. Shaun Cummings continued to
Unchanged from their draw with Wimbledon, Millwall harassed an unfamiliar looking Bournemouth defence and created the better chances, with Lee Gregory causing a lot of uncertainty. But it was his partner Steve Morison who opened the scoring, getting ahead of the defence at a corner and heading into the net.
Neil Harris put that down to their work in the week. He said: “When you play higher up the divisions, the minor details are really important like set-play goals. It’s important to play to your strengths for a cup upset.
“We had to press high and make tackles at the right time. I asked them to be aggressive with and without the ball.
“The front two have great chemistry, they’re a threat in