WILDER CHEERED BY GRITTY BORO
CHRIS Wilder hailed his Middlesbrough side’s reaction to Tuesday’s defeat to Sheffield United – despite being held to a point by Millwall at The Den.
Both sides had chances to win the game in a competitive affair between two sides chasing the play-offs, but neither could find the all-important breakthrough.
The draw leaves Boro just one point off the play-offs, while Millwall are three short.
“We asked the question to the players because it was unacceptable what happened on Tuesday, and they produced a response,” said Wilder.
“They’ve answered our questions at arguably the toughest of places, where they do ask the question everywhere – behind the dugout, in the stands, on the pitch.”
Both sides struck the bar, with Marcus Tavernier firing an early free-kick against the woodwork for Boro and Murray Wallace looping a second-half header against the bar for Millwall.
However, neither side was able to make a breakthrough, meaning they both remain outside the play-off positions.
Wilder added: “Millwall on a fabulous run, and they’re a really competitive side, and if you’re weak mentally or physically, they’ll run over the top of you. We weren’t.”
Boro almost made the ideal start after just six minutes.
Tavernier’s 25-yard freekick flew past Millwall keeper Bartosz Bialkowski, but the ball rattled against the bar.
Bialkowski was called into action again midway through the first half, gathering a driven free-kick from Paddy McNair as Boro carried the greater goal threat before the break.
Millwall saw plenty of the ball in the opening 45 minutes but their passing moves tended to break down before they were able to test Joe Lumley.
Their best first-half moment came to nothing shortly before the interval, with a well-positioned Benik Afobe unable to control Danny McNamara’s cross in the box.
The Lions went much closer five minutes into the second half, matching their opponents by also hitting the crossbar.
Murray Wallace outjumped the Boro defence to meet a corner from the left-hand side, but his header thumped against the bar before rebounding to safety.
Lumley made a brilliant save after 62 minutes, throwing himself to his right to claw away Jake Cooper’s goal-bound header from a corner, before Bialkowski was called into action at the other end to block Aaron Connolly’s strike after Jonny Howson’s free-kick flashed across the Millwall six-yard box.
The final chance of the game went Millwall’s way, but while Afobe turned neatly inside Dael Fry to create space in the area, his curled effort flew over.
Millwall manager Gary Rowett felt a draw was a fair result. “Both teams competed really well, and it was pretty even. I don’t think there was much in it,” he said.
“We had a bit less of the ball than we would have liked, but they’re a difficult team to press and I thought we had the better chances.”