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TONY
Cascarino, Millwall's £220,000 new signing,
is the man who can kill off Fourth Divison
Leyton Orient's giant-killing hopes in
tonight's Littlewoods Cup tie at the Den (7.30
p.m.).
By
ROB BOWDEN
Cascarino
sounded a watch out warning to defences
up and down the country with his first
Second Division goal and an accom- plished
all-round performance during Millwall's
3-1 victory over Barnsley on Saturday.
And
one man who doesn't need any convincing
about Cascarino's powers of finishing
is Orient manager Frank Clarke.
"He
is something of a bogey-wan as far as I
am concerned," admitted the O's boss."
I
don't think I ever finished on the winning side
against him when he was at Gillingham and
he certainly caused us all sorts of problems in
the first leg."
Millwall
will start as odds -on favourite for aplace in the next round after last
week's 1-1 draw
at Brisbane Road, and manager John Docherty
is likely to rely on the same side that
beat Barnsley so convincingly at the weekend.
Danis
Salman passed a fitness test before that
game but is likely to continue on the sub's
bench while Nicky Coleman, Michael Marks
and Kevin O'Callaghan are still some way
short of full fitness.
"We
have been a little bit unlucky with the injuries
we have picked up but once everybody gets
fit I think things will really start coming together,"
said Cascarino.
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Millwall
1 Orient 0 (agg 2-1)
By Terry Bushell
GEORGE
Lawrence's delightful 74th minute goal on Tuesday
was a jewel.
Millwall’s
summer signing from Southampton went on a
surging run and cut in from the left before placing the ball
into the far bottom corner.
Lions
manager John Docherty said: "He took it brilliantly. He
had only one idea in mind when he received the ball."
The
goal put Millwall through in the Littlewood's Cup without
the trouble of extra time.
A
tedious first half was notable only for another expensive signing,
Tony Cascarino from Gillingham, withdrawing with hamstring
trouble.
The
Fourth Division visitors playing at a slightly faster pace, than
they were used to tired towards the end, and Lawrence could
easily have gone on to a hat-trick with fierce shots.
Substitute
Jimmy Carter was himself replaced - by Danis Salman
- after an ineffectual display. Les Briley fought tirelessly
in midfield to try and find a way through Orients sweeper
system.
Millwall:
Horne, Stevens, Sparham, Hurlock, Walker, Wood, Lawrence,
Briley, Sheringham, Cascarino (Carter, Salman), Byrne.
Leyton
Orient: Wells, Howard, Sitton, Smalley, Day (Hull), Hayles, Ketteridge,
Castle, Nugent Godfrey, Comfort. Sub: Sussex.
Referee:
J Martin (Alton, Hants). Att: 4,120. |
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| By
George! Lawrence Shatters Leyton |
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There
were mixed fortunes for Millwall's expensive collection of new
signings, as the Lions made heavy
weather of this Littlewoods Cup tie.
Tony
Cascarino limped off with a hamstring injury, George Lawrence
scored an absolute
cracker and Steve Wood performed assorted heroics at the
centre of Millwall's over-stretched defence. |
| •
George Lawrence - a piece of clinical finishing |
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Leyton
Orient, who held on for a 1-1 draw during the first leg at
Brisbane Road,
were supposed to surrender tamely as Millwall continued
their impressive
start to the season.
Unfortunately
someone forgot to read Frank Clark’s men the script and
only a string
sprawling saves by Millwall keeper Brian Horne -prevented
them from pulling
off a major shock.
The
Fourth Division club hustled and bustled Millwall out of their
stride during
a first half that was high on effort and commitment but low skill
and clear-cut
chances.
John
Docherty's men did manage to carve out one when Teddy Sheringham
and Tony Cascarino combined to put Lawrence in the clear,
but his shot skewed
across the face of the goal.
Horne
flung himself to left to deny Mark Smalley and then pulled off an
equally impressive
save from Kevin Hales as Orient showed that they were prepared
to throw men forward in order to snatch a money-spinning second round
place. |
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| MILLWALL
(0) 1 |
LEYTON
ORIENT (0) 0 |
| Lawrence
74 |
Attendance:
4,120 |
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Millwall’s
hopes of cracking the deadlock suffered a setback when Cascarino
hobbled out of the action in the 38th minute after tweaking a
hamstring.
"Tony
felt a slight twinge so he did the sensible thing and asked to
come off," explained Docherty.
The
Millwall manager sent on Jimmy Carter and pushed Lawrence into
Cascarino's central striking role, but a dreary hour had ticked by
before the Lions finally began to get a grip on the game.
Terry
Hurlock, a forceful, commanding influence in midfield, took things
into his own hands with one savage drive that Den old boy Peter
Wells just managed to push into the side-netting.
And
just when it looked as though the tie was destined to go into
extra time, Lawrence advanced menacingly down the left, cut inside
and swept Millwall into the next round with a precise effort from
the edge of the penalty area. |
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There
was still time for Docherty to create an unusual statistic by
subbing the sub with
Danis Salman replacing Carter, and Lawrence should have given the
score a more
convincing look, but his far-post volley flew over the top.
"I
thought George took
his goal quite brilliantly" said Docherty afterwards.
"He
knew exactly what he wanted to do and from the moment he cut
inside it
looked like a goal."
"Orient
made it difficult for us, but once we scored they were forced to
drop their
sweeper system and in the end we could have had two or
three." |
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RATINGS:
Horne *****, Stevens ***, Sparham ***, Hurlock ****,
Walker ***, Wood *****, Lawrence ****, Briley
***,
Sheringham
**,
Cascarino **, Salman
(for Carter 80) Booking: Stevens.
Match rating 2. |
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| Lawrence
revives Millwall |
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By
Joe Lovejoy
Millwall ..............................1
Leyton Orient .....................0
(Millwall win 2-1 on agg) |
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Why
so many EastEnders foresook Albert Square for this, Dot
only knows, but
eventually, after 74 tedious minutes, 4,000 die hards at
the Den were rewarded for their patience with a delightful
goal from George
Lawrence.
Millwall's
£160,000 acquisition from Southampton sprinted half the
length of the pitch and cut in from the left before driving his
new team into the
second round of the Littlewood's Cup.
The
first leg, drawn 1-1 at Brisbane Road, left Millwall favourites
to complete the
job, but ensured their opponents traveled in an optimistic
mood.
An
unremarkable, goalless first half reinforced Orient’s optimism,
the Second Division
team only troubling Peter Wells only once, when Teddy
Sheringham hacked the keeper's legs with reckless challenge.
Millwall
spent around £600,000 - a Krays ransom – on new players
during the summer.
What Harry Cripps or Benny Fenton make of such
extravagance is anybody's guess, but |
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this unprecedented
investment led
Arsenal's manager, George Graham to risk a modest wager
on his old club achieving promotion to the First Division for the
first time in their
history. Graham has reputation as the canniest of Scots,
but on this evidence the bookies will collect yet again.
Millwall
lacking in cohesion had their problems exacerbate in the 38th
minute when Tony
Cascarino, - their £225,000 buy from Gillingham, withdrew
with hamstring trouble.
Jimmy
Carter, acquired from Queen’s Park Rangers for peanuts and with
only one League
goal to his credit, was an enthusiastic but ineffective
substitute.
A
resounding long-range shot by Steve Ketteridge, which demanded a
leaping save from
Brian Horne reflected Orient's growing confidence.
Eventually
after replacing Carter with their second substitute Danis
Salman, Millwall
stirred themselves, Terry Hurlock and Steve Wood were
both close to supplying the goal they required before Lawrence
settled the issue
with a high class strike. |
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| Eyes
right: Orient's Kevin Godfrey (left) and Millwall's Sean Sparham,
tussle for the ball in last nights Littlewood's cup match. |
| Postscript:
above
report attracted a compliant by a Millwall fan and received the
following reply:
Thanks
to the reader who pointed out that Millwall should not be classed
as an East End club, as was suggested in our report of their
midweek match against Leyton Orient. As everyone knows they are,
of course, part of the fabric of Sarf Lunnunn. However it is our
duty to warn staff at BBC Grandstand that the same reader is
unhappy about Desmond Lynam’s assertion that the GM Vauxhall
club Fisher Athletic (from Bermondsey) also play within the sounds
of Bow bells. The reader intends to make his point in person. His
name is Harry the Dog.
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Lions
face QPR in Cup
by
Steve Stammers
FIRST
DIVISION leaders Queens Park Rangers were today paired with Millwall
in an intriguing
Littlewoods Cup second round tie.
Rangers
have emerged as London's shock team after the opening week with wins
over West Ham
and Arsenal and a draw with Derby.
But
they can expect a fierce battle if they are to overcome a revived
Millwall side, whose manager
John Docherty was delighted with both the opposition and with staging
the decisive
second leg at The Den.
"I
am sure we will have a full house for that one", said Docherty,
whose own side are unbeaten
after their first four matches.
"I
prefer to play away because-of Rangers artificial pitch. It's better to
know what you
have to do against the on a normal surface.
"It's
a hell of a draw and I am sure we can give them good Cup tie.
Financially it should
be good with good gates for both legs.
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| Derby
delight for Millwall's new striking hero |
M Lawrence
for special praise after his second goal in successive matches
took the Lions through,
last night, to the next round of the Littlewood's Cup.
Millwall
won 2-1 on aggregate against Leyton Orient and Docherty said:
"Lawrence took his
goal brilliantly but Leyton Orient made it difficult for us.
"We
were never threatened but we had to break down their defensive scheme
and calm down to do it. They made us fight hard."
Docherty's
elation was tempered by a hamstring injury to £225,000 signing Tony
Cascarino after 39 minutes. Docherty said: "It's too early to tell
yet if it's going
to keep him out of Saturday’s game.
Leyton
Orient manager Frank Clark said: The longer the game went on, the
more I fancied our
chances. Our defence showed a lot of commitment and
"Perhaps
we had one or two players who didn't quite believe we could win." |
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| MILLWALL
travel to the Loftus Road plastic pitch when they
take on QPR in the second round of the Littlewoods Cup.
But that doesn't worry
manager John Docherty.
"Playing
on a plastic pitch
doesn't really concern me," he said. "I'm pleased
with the draw because it provides an attractive fixture for
our fans."
The Lions may he
happy, but there was little excitement for
the other south London sides from yesterday's draw. |
Crystal
Palace play Fourth Division Newport County Charlton
take on Walsall, the third Division outfit who knocked
them out of the FA Cup last season, and Wimbledon
are paired with Fourth Division Rochdale.
The games are over two
legs. For the first leg, in the week
beginning September 21, Charlton and Palace are
at home. Wimbledon and Millwall will host the second
leg games in the week beginning October 1.
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