MILLWALL 0 CITY 1
League Division 2
12th December 1987
attendance 10,477
Scorer Adcock(43)
Ref Paul Durkin
City Nixon, Gidman, Hinchcliffe, Seagraves, Lake, Redmond, White, Stewart, Adcock, McNab, Simpson – subs Varadi(unused), Scott(unused)
Millwall Horne, Salman, Coleman, Stevens, Walker, McCleary, Cooke, Briley, Sherringham, Hurlock, Carter – subs Morgan, Wood
FROM THE PRESS BOX
BOB HOUSTON WRITING FOR THE OBSERVER 13TH DECEMBER 1987
With two of the Second Division’s highest scoring sides matched before the Den’s biggest League attendance of the season, perhaps it was inevitable that the day should be decided by a single, slightly fortunate, goal.
Millwall can always claim they were shorn oi both their leading scorers, Cascarino and Lawrence, but over the 90 minutes City were
just worth three points.
There was enough evidence to justify the excitement surrounding this young side, with the unruffled Redmond more than compensating for Nixon’s goalkeeping eccentricities and Lake, especially in an impressive second half spell before the Lions
grabbed back the initiative for a futile late charge, emphasising that on the day of the drew for the next World Cup here is a young
man who could be in the England squad come 1990.
Millwall just survived an early embarrassment when in the sixth minute, Gidman’s free kick from the left flew through the wall straight at a surprised Horne. Bemused‘ by the bounce the keeper managed to scuffle the ball away, but it was a close thing.
Carter‘s younger legs could cause Gidman trouble and it was the winger’s double back and deep cross which brought Millwall’s best chance after 15 minutes. Nixon helped by coming off his line too soon but Salman’s header looped just wide of the post.
The winger was presented with another opportunity when White and McNab did an ‘after you’ routine on the edge of City’s penalty box, but Gidman managed to stick a timely leg in the way of the shot.
A first half of no real quality was partially regained by Adcock’s goal two minutes from half-time. Taking a left-wing cross, unchallenged, the striker turned and lobbed over Horne who could only stand and watch as the ball dropped gently in to the Millwall net.
That goal, even if slightly fortunate, gave City the confidence and energy for a whirlwind start to the second half, which bewildered the home side and culminated in Stewart‘s offside goal in the 53rd minute after the striker had twice spurned gilt-edged chances set up by the accuracy of Simpson’s crosses.
Millwall’s new boy from Brentford, Cooke, was offered three chances to level the scores in the second half but missed them all.
Lobbing high over the bar in the 64th minute when he had only a nervous Nixon to beat, was the least forgivable. The industrious full-back Salman charged in for another header from Carter’s cross but again missed by inches.