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South London Press Millwall Manager George Graham will leave a star studded trio on the sidelines tomorrow. There's no room for new club captain Les Briley, fit again defender Lindsay Smith and midfield star Anton Otulakowski as Millwall travel to Cambridge in the Third Division. Briley, signed from Aldershot this summer, and Otulakowski, last season's Player-of-the-Year, are out despite completing two-match bans. And Smith, signed from Plymouth for £17,500 two months ago, will be sidelined afterdespite proving his fitness in a midweek reserve clash with Watford. Graham said, “All three are available but I doubt very much if any of them will play.” He explained, “Lindsay needs one or two more matches in the reserves and Briley and Otulakowski will be rusty after the suspension.” Only a late training injury could cause a switch in Graham's plans |
 Missing Out: Les Briley |
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Millwall manager George Graham criticised his team for throwing away the chance of an easy victory. He groaned. “We played better in first half than we did in beating Swansea the previous week. But we wasted so many chances.” “We should have been 3-0 up at half-time. Then, on top of that, Cambridge got their winning goal from one of our corners.” “Robbie Cooke took his goal well, but Cambridge should never have been able to get away like that.” Cambridge manager John Ryan admitted his team were outplayed in the first half. He said: “If it had been a boxing match they would have probably stopped it at the interval. But I thought we just about snatched the second half and the goal was a brilliant.” That goal, Cambridge's first of the season, came in the 66th minute after centre-back David Moyes cleared from a Millwall corner. Steve Pyle hit a perfect pass crossfield to Cook on the left and the striker set off on a run from 40 yards out, then hammered a shot into the roof of the net. It was a lesson in finishing for the Millwall men who squandered better chances in the first half. Dean Neal and Kevin Bremner were guilty of missing two chances each, Neal going closest in the 36th minute. He was sent clear by Alan McLeary but after side-footing his shot from 15 yards, he turned away to acknowledge a goal, only for the ball to strike the post. The Cooke goal transformed the game, giving Cambridge enough confidence to pin Millwall in their own half. They never looked like conceding the equaliser. Cambridge: Brannigan; Clarke, Beattie, Fallon, Moyes. Daniels, Sinton, Spriggs, Cooke, Cooper, Pyle. Sub: Massey. Millwall: Sansome; Stevens, Roffey, McLeary (Smith 78), Martin, Cusack, Lovell, Bremner, Neal, Chatterton, Kinsella Ref: D Brazier (Northampton). Att: 2,952 |
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MILLWALL chief George Graham could hardly believe his eyes as his side crashed to a breakaway goal. He groaned, “We played better football in the first half than we did against Swansea last week and should have been 3-0 up at half-time. But we wasted our chances.” “And on top of that Cambridge get a goal from one of our corners. Robbie Cooke took the goal very well, but Cambridge should never have been allowed to break like that.” Even Cambridge boss John Ryan admitted his team were outplayed by Millwall in the first half. He said, “If it had been a boxing match they would have stopped it at half time.” The goal which Cambridge never looked like scoring came in the 66th minute after centre back David Moyes had cleared from a corner. Steve Pyle passed to Cooke on the left and the striker cut in from, 40 yards to hammer home. It was a lesson in Third Division finishing for the Millwall men who threw the game away in the first half, Dean Neal and Kevin Bremner each missing two excellent chances. Millwall pushed big Dave Cusack forward in the closing stages, in search of an equaliser. MILLWALL: Sansome, Stevens, Roffey, McLeary (sub Smith). Martin, Cusack, Lovell, Bremner, Neal, Chatterton, Kinsella. Ref: D Brazier (Northampton). Att: 2,952 Police made more than 30 arrests in Cambridge during ugly after-match scenes. |
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Cambridge United 1 Millwall 0 Randall Butt reports ROBBIE Cooke spectacularly proved his manager wrong on Saturday, and Cambridge United boss John Ryan could hardly have been happier about it. Cooke struck with a marvellous match-winning goal in the 66th minute against Millwall - as Ryan was willing him to pass, not shoot. Ryan joked: “It shows how good a manager I am. I was praying for Robbie to cross the ball becausewe had two players free in the centre. But he took his goal superbly.” “It should be a fabulous boost for Robbie and the team because and the team because we looked so much confident once we scored.” Cooke's confidence took a battering last season when he failed to produce the finishing form of his Peterborough days But there was not a moment's hesitation once he collected a pin-point pass from Steve Pyle as United counter-attacked with David Moyes breaking swiftly following a Millwall corner. “There 's only one thing you do in that position, when you have one on one,” he said. “I can imagine the manager wanting me to pass though. He probaby groaned when the ball went in the net.” Cooke started his run 40 yards out, side-stepped a defender and lashed a left-foot shot into the roof of the net from 15 yards. It was United's first goal on over four hours of football this season and it transformed the match abd their play. “We started playing the ball around after we took the lead,” said Cooke.“It was what we needed beacuse in our other two games we've been behind from very early on.” |
United, 2-nil down at half-time in their previous natches against Bradford and Brentford were let off the hook this time by a Millwall side who squandered four very good chances in the first 45 minutes. Dean Neal and Kevin Bremner wasted two excellent opportunities each. Neal going closest when he side-footed a 15 yard shot against the post in the 36th minute. Apart from much more than their share of luck it was the experience of Steve Spriggs and Steve Fallon abd a surprising mature performance from rookie goalkeeper Keith Branagan which kept a generally below par United in contention before the break. The 18-year-old keeper, making only his second league appearance, was undoubedly aided by Millwall's abyssmal finishing, but whether under pressure from a succession of corners, or when diving bravely to save a Bremner's feet he always looked safe and solid. There was a promising display also from another teenager, centre forward Mark Cooper (17), whose height and presence in the second League game of his career gave United an added dimension when they eventually started attacking in the second half. A Heade by Steve Pyle, which was tipped over the crossbar by goalkeeper Paul Sansom, was their only goal attempt of the first 45 minutes/ But after the break and especially after Cooke's breakthrough they produced spells of flowing football Millwall could not match. Cambridge United: Brannigan; Clarke, Moyes, Fallon, Beattie, Spriggs Sinton, Pyle, Daniels, Cooper, Cooke. Sub: Massey. Millwall: Sansome; Stevens, Roffey, McLeary (Smith 78), Martin, Cusack, Lovell, Bremner, Neal, Chatterton, Kinsella Attendance: 2,952 Goal: Cooke (66th Minute) Bookings: United Fallon (Foul); Millwall Roffey (Foul) Referee: D Brazier (Northampton) |
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John Ryan admitted his team were lucky to be still in the game at half-time agasint Millwall “If it had been a boxing match” he said, “they'd probably have stopped it at the interval.” “We were guilty of sitting back and not getting into the game. I could have had a go at the players, but I just told them to keep going and we were much better in the second half.” “The tow youngsters we brought in , goalkeeper Keith Branagan and centreforward Mark Cooper, did very well indeed and I was impressed by Steve Pyle's performance.” Millwall boss George Graham groaned: “We played better in the first half than we did when we beat Swansea last week, but we wasted our chances. We should have been 3-nil up at half-time.” “I was unhappy about the goal we conceded because it followed our corner. The lad took it very well, but Cambridge should never have been allowed to break away like that.” Graham was not too impressed by United, however “They've got a lot to do” he said “and I'd much rather be in charge of my team than theirs.” When told of Graham's remark Ryan retorted: “All I can say to that is he should have a look in the paper tomorrow for the result.” Footnote: Graham's judgement proved to be sound, as Millwall would finish the season in Second place, while Cambridge United finished a long way adrift at the bottom of the table with 69 fewer points than Millwall. |