Why Millwall look in better shape to maintain impressive start to the season as Lions go hunting Fulham scalp

MILLWALL 1
Smith 37
SHEFFIELD WED 0
BY RICHARD CAWLEY AT THE DEN

Five clubs level on points at the top of the table – and Millwall are one of them.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if two of the early pacesetters, Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion, were there in the final shakedown. Maybe even Swansea City, still receiving Premier League parachute payments, at a push.

But Millwall and Charlton? That wasn’t part of the pre-season script. And yet both, tipped to struggle, have made commendable starts to the 2019-20 season.

It feels like this can be a good season for the Lions. On Saturday they played a touch under an hour with 10 men – when you add in stoppage time – but dug in after the dismissal of Jed Wallace to collect a second straight win at The Den.

No wonder manager Neil Harris punched the air twice at the full-time whistle. He had just seen his Millwall side pass a gut check, as the Americans like to say, with flying colours.

The South London club were also undefeated at the same stage of last season – although had banked two points less – but then didn’t win again in the Championship until early October. It ended up being a draining and testing slog to safety.

There are only three points separating first to 15th.

Will it be any easier this time around? There are reasons to suggest it could be.

Millwall have a squad which seems more suited to playing in the style that Harris wants.

Matt Smith has two goals in his opening three matches. It took him more than five months to reach that total at QPR last season. Double figures for the big frontman should be easily obtainable under a manager who knows how to best service him.

His matchwinner on Saturday would have been exactly what you visualised him doing when he was announced as a new signing in the summer – powering home a corner.

Connor Mahoney’s deliveries at the weekend were testing for Kieren Westwood – at least a couple of them bent uncomfortably under his crossbar. But then the former Bournemouth man mixed it up with a deeper one that drew the Wednesday number one off his line and Smith was there to beat his marker. Bosh.

And if Smith doesn’t get you, then Millwall can turn to Tom Bradshaw, Jon Dadi Bodvarsson and Aiden O’Brien. There are so many more options than 12 months ago.

The Lions look far more cohesive as a defensive unit too. It’s now two clean sheets from their opening three league games. Contrast that with taking until their 14th fixture to claim a second shutout in the previous campaign.

Sheffield Wednesday predictably piled on the pressure in the second period at The Den – ending up with 21 attempts on goal. But it didn’t feel at any stage that Millwall were being overwhelmed.

In fact one of the best chances after the break saw O’Brien’s ferocious volley tipped over by Westwood. There was only one time that Bartosz Bialkowski had to dive with real urgency – parrying a Barry Bannan effort with Kadeem Harris, in an offside position, slamming the rebound over.

Alex Pearce and Jake Cooper were first to so many crosses into the box – the former producing a terrific intervention to deny Steven Fletcher a close-range chance.

Mahlon Romeo had his hands full with the livewire Harris, the pair producing one of the standout battles, but the Lions right-back did well to contain some of his threat.

Bialkowski was not unduly concerned in making nine saves, that isn’t to say he hasn’t been a calmning presence who adds confidence to those in front of him .

I don’t think the same could always be said for Jordan Archer, who is still to find a new club following his release in mid-May.

His time at The Den saw some poor goals conceded, little mental lapses that proves costly.

Goalkeeper was a problem position for Millwall and probably the weakest area since they gained promotion – although David Martin did redress some of those issues to a large degree in the 2018-19 run-in.

The spine of any side needs to be strong and the Lions look improved in that regard.

They certainly had to show solidity at the weekend as Wallace was sent off for the second time in his Millwall career.

I don’t believe for one moment there was any malicious intent as he slid in on Kieran Lee, just an eagerness to win back possession. But it was a late and poor tackle.

Referee Gavin Ward spoke to his assistant before issuing a straight red.

Wallace will be a miss at Fulham tomorrow night but Millwall have options to cover that. The two-footed Mahoney can easily switch to the right wing – Jiri Skalak, Shane Ferguson or O’Brien looking most likely to fill the free slot.

The Lions are due a result against the west London club, who along with Leeds are the bookies’ favourites to win the league.

They were desperately unlucky to lose by the Thames in November 2017 – Oliver Norwood tucking away a penalty after the softest of awards when Rui Fonte went down under minimal contact from Conor McLaughlin.

And while the record books show a 3-0 victory for Fulham at The Den in April 2018, it doesn’t fairly reflect when the two form sides in the Championship clashed.

Millwall’s pressing and direct approach had Slavisa Jokanovic’s side reeling in the first half – Jake Cooper hitting the bar as well as a George Saville goal being disallowed. That was the day that the Lions’ play-off surge was halted. Ryan Sessegnon scored 40 seconds after the restart – tucking away after Archer produced a weak parry on Aleksandar Mitrovic’s long-distance effort.

When Kevin McDonald slammed in a fine second soon after it was too much for Millwall, who had expended huge energy in compiling a 17-match unbeaten run.

The Lions will know that their best chance of success against Fulham is to play to their strengths – that means crosses into the box and looking to win the ball high up the pitch with the hosts intent on playing out from the back.

Millwall (4-4-2): Bialkowski 8, M Wallace 8, Pearce 9, Cooper 9, Romeo 8, Williams 7, Thompson 7, Mahoney 7 (Leonard 74),  J Wallace 5, O’Brien 7 (Ferguson 83), Smith 7 (Bradshaw 52, 6). Not used: Steele, Hutchinson, Skalak, Bodvarsson.