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 after 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." 

COOKED 

Cambridge 1  Millwall 0

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." 

Brilliant 

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 bit 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. 

Confidence 

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: Branigan; 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

Millwall’s Misery 

Cambridge 1  Millwall 0

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. 

 The Millwall History Files    The Millwall Story since the early 1980's   [Home]  [Contents] [Links] [About]