I.Saw's Match Report - The Sort Of Game You Immediately Forget.......
Sunday, 12th Feb 2012 12:46 by I.Saw

The Rams entered the Lions Den hoping to show their extra week rest had left them hungry for points. Instead they were left with a snack instead of the full meal.

Millwall vs. Derby

The Den

3:00pm – Saturday February 12th

Referee:

O. Langford

Attendance:

10,069 (754 Travelling Rams)

The Teams:

The Lions:

Forde (GK); Dunne, Robinson (C), Lowry, Barron; Henry (Keogh 66), Wright (Smith 77), Mason; Henderson, Kane (Feeney 46).

Unused Substitutes: Allsop (GK), N'Guessan.

The Rams:

Fielding (GK); Green, Barker (C), Shackell, Roberts; Carroll (Bailey 77), Hendrick, Bryson, Ward (Doyle 90); Tyson (Buxton 86), Ball.

Unused Substitutes: Legzdins (GK), Noble.

Match Stats: Lions – Rams

Goals: 0 - 0

Possession: 53% - 47%

Shots On Target: 1 - 2

Shots Off Target: 10 - 2

Corners: 9 - 4

Fouls: 10 - 10

Most Fouls: Robinson (3) - Bryson (3)

I.Saw’s Match Report

Scoreless soccer in the New Den, one massive miss, shots on target two, bookings three, it made you wonder what we were sitting here for.

In temperatures of -10.5 degrees the trek to Cold Blow Lane commences. The train from Grantham is on time but rammed full and the toilets overflowing. Out of the window, snow stays with us all the way, with a temporary fog adding to the ghostly atmosphere.

The largest Hanging Garment warehouse in Europe flies by on our right and the Emirates left of centre drifts slowly back into the mist.

London Bridge, Borough Market, food sampling, smiles abound as frosted breath extols provenance, a Treacly Chorizo from Wales invites itself to stay.

Lunch and beers in touch with my dark side, Pica Pica, Dark Arts, Black Knight and Cottage Brewing’s Normans Conquest MM, all going down very smoothly. It’s a shame to leave the Market Tavern.

Millwall, the New Den, politically correct, an equal opportunity employer, if only they took it a stage further and sold Dragon Stout rather than the insipid Carlsberg, or beef patties, oh for the days of Douglas at the Baseball Hotel.

Football then, Derby all in white, the Lions in Blue, both sides are perpetual motions in midfield that break on the rocks of the defence. It’s like watching two aged boxers slugging away neither having a killer punch.

Derby nearly finds one. Callum Ball pushes a shot just wide of the post before Jamie Ward from twenty five yards troubles David Forde in the Millwall goal. The keeper fumbles and Craig Bryson with all the time in world and an open goal chooses instead to put the ball out for a goal kick.

It was the highlight of the half and the match, Millwall had the better of the play only troubling Frank Fielding in the dying stages, although the Rams keeper did frustrate the home fans with his time wasting efforts when getting a gash on his head right at the end of the match that required lengthy treatment.

Clough brought on Jake Buxton with four minutes to go to secure the precious point but there are more points in a circle than found in the final change as Conor Doyle was given a run out for Ward.

I. Saw’s Rams Player Ratings:

Frank Fielding 6 - Largely unemployed throughout the afternoon.

Paul Green 6 - Pressed into the right back position or should that be “depressed in the right back positon”.

Shaun Barker 7 - A solid performance at the back.

Jason Shackell 7 - Again held the back line together.

Gareth Roberts 6 - Not his most adventurous afternoon but competent throughout.

Nathan Tyson 5 - Against Barnsley he bubbled and fizzed, today he was a damp squib.

Tom Carroll 5 - Brought in to spray the ball round and be a playmaker, the game passed him by somewhat and when it didn’t perhaps it should have.

Craig Bryson 8 - Despite his miss Bryson was the only Derby player who added a spark to an extremely dour football match.

Jamie Ward 6 - Had our one shot on target but is capable of much, much more.

Jeff Hendrik 5 - Played wide for part of the game, struggled to impose himself.

Callum Ball 7 - Often a loan striker needed the midfield to help him more but he never gave in throughout the match.

Subs.

James Bailey 7 - Sat in front of the back four and added stability and confidence.

Jake Buxton 6 - Our point saviour, the man you turn to when all intentions of trying to win the game are forgotten. Six is a fair mark for his minutes on the pitch.

Conor Doyle - I’m beginning to feel sorry for Conor, after all if he’s selected he has to go on, what more can a poor boy do? It’s not his fault he’s clueless and of limited ability, I blame the guy who picks him and then puts him on ahead of the likes of Davies and Noble who surely must be on his way back to Sunderland.

Sorry I digress, the mark? Ah yes....

Taking everything into consideration, the pristine kit, the faultless hair, the laces on his boots, the way he ran on to the field, marked a man and almost, so close, a whisker away from actually touching the ball. For that and more Conor Doyle you rate a 4 .... cough.

Coaches Reaction:

First team coach Andy Garner was pleased to take something from their trip.

"We're pleased with a point and the lads had to work hard to achieve it.

"We were magnificent at the back from start to finish which left Frank Fielding in goal with very little to do."

"Credit must go to the lads because Millwall is not an easy place to come to at the best of times. Given they have one of the Championship's leading marksmen in Darius Henderson, we kept him very quiet all afternoon and I thought Jason Shackell and Shaun Barker were superb in central defence. We're delighted with a clean sheet."

"We had the best chance of the game as it turned out and if we'd have took that it would have been a classic away victory, but unfortunately Craig Bryson put his shot wide. It was a great chance, but these things happen.

Craig has been brilliant for us this season and nine times out of ten he would score that. He'll bounce back and the next time a chance comes his way, I'm sure he will take it."

"The pitch wasn't the best either so it made it difficult but I thought the lads got the ball down and had a really good go. Although we're a bit disappointed we didn't win the game we're happy with a point and we will move on to Tuesday now against Reading."

"With the Forest game being off we had to wait a bit longer than we would have liked but we were delighted to be out there today and back in action.

"We know we have an honest group of players and we knew they'd bounce back."