Millwall away

[Markoasis]

By Joe Payne

 

What a game - 3 points from the Den with no broken bones (players or fans) is always pleasing, but this encounter had even more of an icing-on-the cake feeling.

 

Lets start with the hilarity. Millwall's bunch of Neanderthal fans started screaming "SCAM" (or "Scum", to me and you) at Lee Hughes, from the time his name was read out from the teamsheet - pot calling kettle black, surely. I used to have a soft spot for Millwall and thought that the reputation of their fans was a tad harsh, but after Saturday they have gone right back to the other end of the scale. While their fans are first to label anyone north of Watford as an "inbred", the gene pool can surely not be that great in their own South London borough. You can spot a Millwall fan a mile off - dragging knuckles, hand-me-down tracksuit bottoms, Millwall top and Burberry Cap with essential Argos-bling is always the order of the day. Oh, and of course, the constant aggressive expression on face; the look of desire to commit at least three serious criminal offences on their way home. Anyway on with the match....

 

The abuse Hughes got was by far the worst I've seen from any set of opposing fans this season, but if it brings this sort of form out of him let hope every set of fans do it. It seemed the ref came with the intention of making a name for himself early on, by having a "quiet word" with Hughes, for an innocuous looking confrontation with their centre-back. This ploy by the ref seemed to backfire badly with some incredible decisions that enraged both sets of supporters.

 

Apart from the goals, Crossley was well protected by the defence and didn't have a save to make. It is almost as if Crossley's occasional liability is working in our favour as the defence seem to try and block every attempt at goal at whatever cost "just in case". In fact due to Latics domination I don't think Crossley had even touched the ball when we took the lead in the first-half. A throw in from the right was flicked on by Trotman for Hughes to apply a simple finish. Easy goal followed by a finger-to-mouth celebration by Hughes which, under these circumstances particularly, wasn't the smartest move in the world.

 

When Simpson equalised for Millwall it was probably their first proper attack of the game. Running into the crowd to celebrate, while not as confrontational as Hughes' goal celebration, brought a sterner reaction from the referee. The rules of the game state that this is a bookable offence, so instead of the Millwall fans aiming their anger at the ref, surely it would have been better placed at their own player for risking the celebration in the first place when he knew he had already been booked? Still, when has anyone ever been able to reason with a Millwall fan?

 

So with Millwall down to 10, the referee seemed to decide he needed to even things up after his relatively harsh decision, to keep the baying locals happy. A 50-50 challenge on the edge of the Latics box initially brought a "no foul" signal from the referee - until he realised that the ball didn't run to a Millwall player and he subsequently decided that there was actually a foul by an Oldham player.....somewhere. From the free-kick, Whitbread (ex Liverpool) lost his marker Stam, who wasn't having his best 45 minutes, to head past Crossley for a goal as simple as Hughes'.

 

Despite Millwall going in leading at the break, their crowd still felt in necessary to hurl coins, bottles, stolen watches or anything else they had in their pockets at the referee as he walked off.

 

Mr Ref must have felt a bit peeved that his decisions in helping Millwall get back into the game wasn't more warmly greeted by the locals, as he seemed to swing his decisions in favour of Latics in the second-half. An iffy penalty, bravely converted by Hughes after Smalley was apparently fouled (according to ITV's Championship on Sunday) brought an equaliser. Latics should have taken the lead when Hughes decided to have a shot that was blocked, instead of squaring the ball to an unmarked Taylor who would have had an open goal. Taylor was rightly furious with Hughes, but forgave him in time to join in the celebrations for Hughes' control and volley into the top corner of Millwall's net for his and Latics' third. The ref, never missing an opportunity to steal the limelight, then sent-off then sent off Eardley for apparently over-celebrating. I must have missed it, but the celebration must have been bad as it enraged one local so much that he felt compelled to run on to the pitch to give a piece of his mind to Hughes (How many times has an incident similar to this happened at Millwall over the years? Surely it is about time the FA stepped in).

 

Latics remained in control for the rest of the game, despite 7 minutes of injury-time, at the end of which the referee's dash down the tunnel brought further object-throwing from the crowd.

 

The referee spolied the game as an contest, but this didn't hide the fact that Latics had come to one of the most intimidating grounds in the country, put in a performance that really suggests we are back on form and come away with three points largely thanks to that poacher of a striker that we've been lacking for so many years.

 

With the South Bermondsey to London Bridge train trip quieter than expected, the OASIS contingent could quietly contemplate on the most satisfying of victories.

[Hometownclub]

Excellent post, sounds like a good day was had by all (well all Latics fans anyway).

[bluearmyof1]

Excellent post, sounds like a good day was had by all (well all Latics fans anyway).

 

Yes definitely wish I could have come down. Every time I go to the New Den though we seem to lose. Think it was 5 nil on one particularly memorable occasion. So was probably for the best that I didn't go.

Redmond