Match report: Millwall 2 - 1 Town

Sep 1 2008 By Doug Thomson

With its lock-ups, back-street garages and greasy spoons, the area around the New Den would form the perfect backdrop if the TV series Minder was ever to be revived.

And had Town avoided what was a third successive defeat in all matches, it would have been a result of Arthur Daly proportions.

Stan Ternent’s side, starting with a 4-3-3 formation, were solid for the opening half hour, taking an 18th minute lead with a peach of a goal by on-loan Derby Country striker Liam Dickinson.

But once Millwall, urged on by their vociferous supporters, found some rhythm, it soon became clear Town would struggle to hold their lead.

Sure enough, on-loan Leeds United frontman Tresor Kandol levelled in the 38th minute while Lewis Grabban slotted home the winner 17 minutes into a second half dominated by the home team.

And had Neil Harris’s dinked 85th-minute shot gone in rather than hitting the inside of Matt Glennon’s left-hand post and rolling back across the face of goal, the game would have been as good as over before the late penalty drama.

As it was, Unsworth’s miss was a real hammer blow for Town, who now head to Cheltenham in desperate need of inflicting further misery on a side thumped 4-0 on their own patch by Leicester on Saturday.