at the Den

By Alex Jones at the den alexj@southwarknews.co.uk

M illwall tooK a step closer to securing a play-off place after beating Swansea City 2-1 at The den.

The win took the Lions up to fifth place ahead of Wednesday night’s Championship fixtures, level on points with Luton Town and ahead of Blackburn Rovers, Norwich City and West Brom.

Many supporters would have been delighted to have secured the victory given the way the first half played out, with a lethargic tempo frustrating those who came to watch the game in SE16. George Honeyman was able to exploit space down the right flank, but Zian Flemming was unable to pick him out. When the versatile midfielder did pick up the ball, he was quickly closed down as Swansea started to dominate possession.

They had the best chance of the early stages, however, as Olivier Ntcham picked up the ball on the edge of the area, striking a fierce shot past George Long’s goal and out for a goal kick.

The sluggish opening continued into the first half, but Ryan Leonard did everything he could to liven things up. In the 17th minute, the midfielder picked up the ball near the centre circle, took a touch and launched a powerful effort at Andy Fisher, forcing him into an impressive save.

It clearly woke up Gary Rowett’s men, who continued to threaten. The initial corner from Saville was poor, but Tom Bradshaw was able to pick up the loose ball on the right, turning around before launching a mishit cross into the box, which Fisher had to tip over the bar.

Swansea could sense a more open game, and worked to quickly slow things down and limit the hosts’ time on the ball. They did so successfully until the 35th minute, when Honeyman was brought down on the edge of the area. The referee decided to let play continue as the ball rolled out to Flemming, who was able to chip the ball into the box from the right flank for Andreas Voglsammer to head wide.

Gary Rowett’s men had one last chance before the half-time whistle as Harry Darling was booked for a foul on Honeyman, giving the Lions a free-kick down the left. Andreas Voglsammer delivered it into the box, but it bounced straight out of play, summing up a truly woeful first half of football.

The manager clearly needed to set his team up in a different way, and he opted to switch to a 4-3-3 formation as a result. It paid dividends early in the second half as they won a throw-in down the right flank, which Ryan Leonard launched into the box. Swansea tried to clear the danger but the ball landed at the feet of Charlie

Cresswell, who slid the ball under Fisher and into the back of the net to give the hosts a 48th-minute lead. Millwall were not done there and could clearly sense blood, pushing forward in search of a second goal to put them into a controlling position. They found it just even minutes after their first when Flemming set up Honeyman with a slick pass from the left. He, in turn, managed to play the ball into the feet of Voglsammer, who cut onto his left foot and fired a shot straight at Fisher. It was too powerful for the goalkeeper, who spilled the shot into the back of the net to give the hosts a 2-0 lead with 55 minutes on the clock.

Their advantage was halved just three minutes later as Swansea looked for a quick response. Cresswell was called into action to clear two pointblank shots off the line, but the ball bounced back out to Matt Grimes, who took aim from the edge of the area. His dipping shot deflected off Ryan Manning, wrong-footing Long before bobbling into the back of the net.

They were unlucky not to be level eight minutes later as Cresswell was required once again, blocking Joel Piroe’s shot off the line to maintain

Left: Andreas Voglsammer had a bit of fortune to score his third goal of the season his side’s lead. The visitors were clearly not out of the game and seemed confident that they could return to South Wales with a point, pinning Millwall back heading into the dying stages of the match.

However, their threat was ultimately minimal. Their best late chance came from substitute Morgan Whittaker, who tested long with an audacious left-footed strike in the 83rd minute, and while the Lions had to handle a substantial period of stoppage time, they never looked likely to surrender their lead.

Once again, they did enough to see out the win in a tight game, as they have done throughout the season but particularly since the turn of the year. All eyes turn to the visit of Huddersfield Town on Saturday afternoon, but Rowett has undoubtedly got his side in a perfect position heading into the final weeks of the campaign.

Millwall: 4-2-3-1: Long; McNamara, Cresswell, Cooper, Wallace; Leonard, Saville (Shackleton 76’); Honeyman, Flemming (Hutchinson 88’), Voglsammer (Watmore 76’); Bradshaw (Burke 76’)

Swansea: 3-4-2-1: Fisher; Cabango, Wood, Darling (Naughton 84’); Walsh (Paterson 64’), Grimes, Ntcham, Manning; Cundle (Congreve 88’), Cullen (Whittaker 64’); Piroe