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Brother ! Den Double from the Bremner hot-shots |
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Millwall
2 Aston Villa 4
By
Ian Malin
Bremner
was twice on the score sheet in Millwall's friendly against Aston Villa
on Saturday. But Den favourite Kevin only scored one goal, older brother
Des spoilt things for him by restoring the First Division club's lead
after a Millwall fight back.
With
the cricket season still in full swing, it would be fair to say that
Villa won this contest by about seven wickets. Like the West Indies this
summer, when Villa were in trouble they were able to slip into a higher
gear and easily win the game.
In
all Villa used 18 players throughout the game and, at times, all of them
seemed to be on the pitch. They appeared to have an extra five yards on
the Millwall players and looked like winning the game by the interval.
But
a fine individual goal by Dean Neal after 28 minutes put the Lions back
in the match after Villa had taken a two goal lead.
Kevin
Bremner looked sharp in the Millwall attack and with the game nearly an
hour old he side-footed an equaliser after Cusack headed back a corner
from new-boy Les Briley.
After
Des Bremner had crashed home a third for Villa, Steve McMahon settled
the game with a spectacular fourth a minute later. |
Of
Millwall's new players it, was Les Briley, a half-time substitute for
Alan McLeary who caught the eye. Briley - gave a busy performance in
midfield but missed a chance 20 minutes from
time when Nigel Spink smothered his shot.
A
large crowd for the game against the glamorous Midland outfit was 2,692
- a respectable enough turnout with the new season still three weeks
away.
Millwall:
Sansome (Wells), Lovell, Martin, Smith, Roffey, Mcleary (Briley),
Kinsella (Cusack), Chatterton (Otulakowski), Neal, Bremner.
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| Above
and below: Bremner
scores the Equaliser and his brother Des can't quite hide his
pride, but Peter Withe looks pissed off.
Left: Lindsay
Smith had a fine match against Villa
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Millwall
new-boy Les Briley will miss out on a return to his old club tonight.
Manager George Graham has pulled Briley and fellow midfield man Anton
Otulakowski out of the friendly, at Wimbledon.
Briley,
who played for Wimbledon before signing for Aldershot, completed the
move back to London in a exchange deal with Millwall
But
as he and Otulakowski will be suspended for the first two matches of the
season, manager Graham will leave them on the side-lines. And Graham had
some harsh wards for Otulakowski, voted Player of the Year last season
after Saturday's 4-2 Den defeat by Aston Villa.
Graham
said, "When we've got the ball Anton plays well, when we haven't
got the ball he doesn't play. "He should have learned a lesson from
the Villa players, who worked hard right through the game. Anton thinks
he's one of the best players in this Division, and probably right - but only
when he's on the ball.
The
impressive thing about Villa is their will to win.”
Also missing from the outing
win be Micky Nutton, struggling to shake off a leg injury. |
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| Victory
for Top Opposition |
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Millwall
pulled back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2 with Dean Neal and Kevin
Bremner getting their goals, but Aston Villa pulled out the stops and
added two more goals in the match at the Den on Saturday.
George
Graham said: "I hope the crowd (2,692) appreciate that we brought
them top opposition and that they saw a good First Division side.
I
told my players to take an example from Steve McMahon, who one
minute was scoring a goal and the next as defending and fighting
for the ball in his own penalty area. He's my idea of a class player.
"Anton
Otulakowski is one of the best players in his division, but only on the
ball. He should copy Steve, on and off the ball. Third division players
may not have his ability but that's no reason why they have the same
application the job.
That's
the difference between first and lower division players. They have the
will to win. I thought David Martin had an outstanding match as did Dean
Neal".
But
the referee John Moules, from Essex, spoilt the game. He awarded a
disputed penalty when Nicky Chatterton unintentionally handled the ball
- Nicky couldn't get his hand away in time, in the tenth minute.
"You
can't give Villa a goal start, early on and really make a match of
it" he said.
Graham
was happy at the result. at Wimbledon, on Tuesday, when his team fought
back from 1-0 down to win 2-1. Teddy Sheringharn and Steve Lowndes were
the second half scorers. |
| Bremner
beats Nigel Spink to the cross but puts it wide |
Graham
said: "I was very happy at the way the team played. We were without
six of our players, through injury, Kevin Bremner, Neal, Chatterton,
Mickey Nutton, Keith Stevens and Lindsay Smith, but the lads who came in
for them did well."
"All
the pre-season matches we're playing a highly competitive. There's no way
that the match with Wimbledon wasn't going to be just that and
the derby with Charlton and the Luton game the following Friday will he
real tests for us. "There's going to be real competition for places
in all departments this season.”
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| Wimbledon
1 Millwall 2
by Ian Malin
WIMBLEDON came back to
earth after their tour of Sweden when they surrendered a one goal lead
to dogged Millwall.
Last week the Dons
returned home after a spree in Scandinavia in which they won all three
games an crashed in 19 goals.
But Millwall spoilt
their homecoming and in this friendly it was difficult to tell which
side will he lining up in Division Two in a fortnight's time. At a
rain-swept Plough Lane, Wimbledon took the lead after half an hour when
substitute Andy Sayer headed home a Glyn Hodges corner.
Wimbledon looked the
better side in the first half with on-loan Paul O'Berg catching the eye.
After the interval.
Millwall took the game by the scruff of the neck and were soon level.
Wimbledon's defence stood still as a Tony Kinsella shot was saved by
Beasant and Steve Lowndes forced the ball over the line.
Anton Otulakowski
second half appearance seemed to act as a spur to the visitors and 20
minutes from time Teddy Sheringham side footed the winner from close
range after a cross from another substitute John Neal. |
| Millwall's
Dave Martin Heads clear in Tuesday's friendly at Plough Lane |
WIMBLEDON: Beasant,
Kay, Winterburn (Hatter), Smith, Morris. Handford (Galliers). Evans,
Ketteridge, Cork, O'Berg, Hodges.
MILLWALL: Sansome
(Wells), Lovell, Roffey, Mcleary, Martin, Cusack, Briley (Otulakowski),
Lowndes (John Neal), Dean Neal, Sheringham, Kinsella.
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