Millwall

Millwall boss Alex Neil spoke to BBC Radio London after his side's 2-1 win over Bristol City:

"The game really shifted in our favour when we brought the likes of [Thierno] Ballo on.

"It was nice to see Macca [Macaulay Langstaff] get the winning goal. Camiel Neghli, the amount of ground that he covered in the game was incredible. [There were] A lot of good performances in there.

"What I can say for the players is they don't give up. They've got a lot about them.

"In spells in the second half we were struggling to get out, the fans were starting to get a little bit anxious around us. They wrestled back control of the game and we were on the front foot and managed to go and get the winner.

"We never give up, we keep going to the last minute and if you do that, you give yourselves a chance."

Image source, Getty Images

Millwall boss Alex Neil said his side showed good spirit to earn a point against high-flying Ipswich Town following back-to-back defeats.

"For the qualities we know Ipswich have got, and how stretched we are at the moment, I thought the lads did extremely well," Neil said.

"I was really pleased with the effort they put into the game. I didn't think we deserved to lose the game by any stretch – if anything, if any team would have nicked it, it would have been us nicking it.

"Saying we held on [for the draw] does us a bit of a disservice, albeit we did concede the ball but I don't think we were getting peppered by any means.

"I thought keeping the clean sheet was important – obviously, the last couple of results haven't been great and we needed to make sure we didn't lose."

Image source, Opta

Millwall welcome Ipswich Town for an important encounter between two sides battling it out in the Championship play-off places on Friday (13:00 GMT kick-off).

Since a run of three straight victories, the Lions are now without a win in three (D1 L2) and are one point clear of QPR in seventh.

The Tractor Boys have won three of their past four games (L1) and are five points behind Middlesbrough in the automatic promotion places.

• Millwall have lost three of their past four home league games against Ipswich (L1), more than they had in their previous 16 (W8 D6 L2).

• Ipswich Town have won five of their past eight league games against Millwall (D1 L2), completing the double over them the last time they met in 2023-24.

• Millwall have lost just one of their previous seven league games on Boxing Day (W4 D2), though that defeat did come last season at the hands of Norwich (1-2).

• Ipswich have won just one of their past six Boxing Day league games (D3 L2), beating Oxford 3-0 in League One in 2022.

• Ipswich have kept just one clean sheet in their past 27 away league games, winning 2-0 at Hull City last month.

Image source, Getty Images

Millwall have ended their deal with shirt sponsor MyGuava with immediate effect.

The Lions announced the termination of the commercial partnership on Monday due to various contractual breaches by MyGuava, which had discontinued its services to Millwall since a UK-wide ban of the company was imposed in September.

All MyGuava branding will now be immediately removed from the south London club's assets, including kits, stadium signage and digital platforms.

The club said it considers the matter to be of the "highest gravity" and they have "commenced legal proceedings to defend its position and interests".

"Whilst disappointed with the outcome following a productive 18-month partnership, the club is pleased to be in a position to announce a new front‑of‑shirt sponsor shortly," said a Millwall club spokesman, external.

Millwall announced in September it had been informed that MyGuava's parent company Guavapay had suspended all customer transactions and services across its consumer platform in the UK with immediate effect.

The Financial Conduct Authority put restrictions on Guavapay, meaning it had to refrain from carrying on any new business and from accepting any new money from existing customers.

MyGuava's services have remained suspended in the UK since then, ultimately leading to Millwall's decision to end the deal.

Image source, Getty Images

Millwall boss Alex Neil branded the Lions' display in their 2-0 defeat at struggling Blackburn as 'sub-standard'.

Millwall were hugely disappointing as they suffered back-to-back league losses for the first time in Neil's 12-month reign and he told BBC Radio London: "That was arguably as poor as it's been.

"I don't think we competed well enough. Our decision making with the ball and without the ball was arguably as poor as it's been.

"If you look at both goals, the first goal is extremely disappointing. We spoke about it all week and then the second goal was a mistake from us. That sort of typified the first-half display.

"I'm not focusing on the timing of the goals, I'm focusing on what we put into the match in the first half and I thought that it was sub-standard compared to what we're used to doing. That was probably my biggest frustration.

"In the second half, I thought we competed. I thought we lacked quality at times, though. I didn't think, although we had a bit of pressure and we kept them in there, we didn't have enough clear-cut opportunities in the game."

Blackburn Rovers will look to end a five-match winless streak when they welcome fourth placed Millwall on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Rovers are just three points above the relegation zone, in danger of dropping into the bottom three should the fail to produce a point and Oxford and Portsmouth prevail.

But the Lions are a hard act to beat, competing to stay within the top six and looking to avoid being handed their first back-to-back defeat of the season.

• Blackburn are unbeaten in their last nine home league games against Millwall (W6 D3), since a 2-0 loss in November 2012 under Henning Berg.

• Millwall have won just one of their last 10 league games against Blackburn (D3 L6), a 1-0 home win in December last year.

• Blackburn have won just one of their 10 home league games this season (D3 L6), with only Sheffield Wednesday (2) picking up fewer home points than Rovers in the Championship (6).

• Millwall lost 3-1 against Hull in their last league game, last losing consecutive Championship matches in December last year (3 in a row).

• Blackburn have only scored 20 goals in the Championship this season, despite having an xG total of 27.8. This is the biggest underperformance (-7.8) by any team in the competition in 2025-26.

Image source, Getty Images

Millwall manager Alex Neil admits he felt "aggrieved" by a number of decisions during Milwall's 3-1 defeat to Hull City.

Femi Azeez was sent off late on before Aidomo Emakhu pulled a goal back for the hosts. But the damage was done by Kyle Joseph's early brace, and Oli McBurnie scored a third four minutes from time.

Neil said he hadn't seen the Azeez incident but was incensed by Liam Millar escaping a red card after kicking the ball away having already been booked.

"I need to look at [the Azeez red card] back," he told BBC Radio London. "It puts us down to 10 men when we were the team trying to get the next goal, which we did.

"I certainly feel aggrieved by some of the decisions today."

But Neil admits his side were poor defensively and that contributed to the defeat.

"There was a lot of emotions in the game today. We were a bit naïve in terms of the number of men we committed forward and we got hurt in transition twice for the goals.

"We didn't defend the goals well, which is really unlike us. Both goals were exactly what we had spoken about so that was a huge frustration.

"I thought second half, the lads left everything on the pitch.

Image source, Opta

Two sides with play-off aspirations go head-to-head at The Den on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Millwall go into this game sitting third in the Championship table but missed out on the chance to close the gap on the top two after Wednesday's draw at Derby ended a three-match winning streak.

Hull City moved into the play-off positions with an impressive victory that ended Wrexham's nine-game unbeaten run in the league.

The Tigers will be well aware victory over the Lions will be significant in closing the gap on their opponents with four points separating the two sides.

• Millwall have won none of their last six league games against Hull (D3 L3), failing to score in five of those games.

• Hull won their last league game against Millwall but there has not been back-to-back wins by a team in this fixture since Hull won both games in 2012-13 – this is the 15th meeting since then.

• Millwall have won 11 of their last 15 home league matches (D1 L3), including five of their last six since a 4-0 defeat to Coventry in October.

• Hull have scored 15 goals in nine away Championship games this season, their best goals-per-game average (1.67) on the road in a season in the top two tiers of English football ever.

• Femi Azeez has scored in each of his last five home league matches for Millwall, the best run by a Lions player since Steve Morison between April and August 2010 (also five, including play-offs).

Eve Beesley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Millwall shared the points at Pride Park following a 1-1 draw against Derby in a somewhat disappointing manner.

The Lions came into the game having defeated Derby in their last five away fixtures and on the hunt for a fourth consecutive win in the league. They were largely on top throughout the first half, but the second half saw a more even contest.

Alex Neil's side had good chances in the first half, one of which saw Femi Azeez hit the outside of the post following a free-kick into the box by Alfie Doughty. Millwall did get the ball in the back of the net in the first half but it was ruled out as Mihailo Ivanovic was caught offside.

Both goals came late in the second half, with Millwall taking the lead through an 81st minute Matt Clarke own goal. However, the lead was not to last as seven minutes later Derby equalised via a Jake Cooper own goal from a corner.

Despite the array of good chances that Millwall created, the second half truly showed the tiredness within the squad.

As the season continues through the festive period, the toll that the injury crisis has taken is beginning to show.

This is evident when looking especially at Ivanovic who has received criticism online from fans this season as he has been struggling to reach the goalscoring proficiency he had last season.

However, I believe that these criticisms are harsh. The Serbian has featured in 19 matches so far and has often played nearly the full 90 minutes.

Following the injury to Josh Coburn and underwhelming performances of Macaulay Langstaff, Neil has had little choice but to rely on the 21-year-old up front.

But this isn't just limited to choices up front. Players persistently being injured or having long-term injuries, such as Massimo Luongo, has limited Neil's ability to rotate his squad to minimise such exhaustion.

As the January transfer window approaches, its importance becomes increasingly clear for Millwall.

To conclude, this season's injury crisis is hugely detrimental but the efforts of the players cannot be understated as the Lions sit third in the Championship.

Millwall boss Alex Neil spoke to BBC Radio London after his side's 1-1 draw with Derby County:

"We're disappointed obviously in the fact that, when you're leading with 10 minutes to go we expect ourselves to see it out.

"I thought we had probably the better opportunities in the game. I thought second half we had two or three really good moments where we could have done a bit better.

"To concede in the manner we did is frustrating. If somebody produces a moment of quality it's a bit easier to accept, if you like.

"But I think it's a bit of a freak goal. We defend that one another hundred times and that doesn't happen.

"I didn't think they had any clear-cut chances in the game, so I think that's where the biggest frustration from our perspective comes out."

Millwall will aim to continue their impressive run of form when they visit Derby County on Wednesday night (19:45 GMT).

The Lions have won three on the bounce and are pushing for an automatic promotion spot following a 1-0 victory away at Bristol City on Saturday.

The Rams have slipped to 15th in the Championship after three defeats in their past four games (W1) and are looking to bounce back.

• Derby have won just two of their past 11 league games against Millwall (D3 L6), with both wins coming away from home in June and December 2020.

• Millwall have won their past five away league games against Derby – they've won six in a row on the road against an opponent in their league history.

• Derby are unbeaten in their past eight midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Championship games (W5 D3), since a 1-0 loss against Sunderland in January.

• Millwall have alternated between defeat (3) and victory (3) in their past six midweek (Tues, Weds, Thurs) league games, beating Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 at the Den last time out.

• Having lost his first four away league games against Derby without his side's scoring, Millwall boss Alex Neil has won his past two visits to Pride Park 1-0 (with Preston and Millwall).

Image source, Getty Images

The FA Cup third round draw was made on Monday evening, with all 24 Championship clubs entering at this stage of the competition.

Ties will take place between Thursday, 8 January and Monday, 12 January.

These are the ties involving Championship clubs:

• Cambridge United v Birmingham City

• Hull City v Blackburn Rovers

• Bristol City v Watford

• Charlton Athletic v Chelsea

• Stoke City v Coventry

• Derby County v Leeds United

• Ipswich Town v Blackpool

• Cheltenham Town v Leicester City

• Fulham v Middlesbrough

• Burnley v Millwall

• Norwich City v Walsall

• MK Dons v Oxford United

• Portsmouth v Arsenal

• Preston North End v Wigan Athletic

• West Ham United v Queens Park Rangers

• Sheffield United v Mansfield Town

• Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford

• Doncaster Rovers v Southampton

• Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion

• Wrexham v Nottingham Forest

You can see the full draw here.

Eve Beesley
Fan writer

Image source, Shutterstock

Millwall's victory over Bristol City sees the Lions sit third in the table, with Mihailo Ivanovic striking the goal to secure a third victory in a row.

The game was certainly marred by controversial refereeing decisions for both sides, with Bristol City having a goal ruled out for being offside despite being onside and a contentious booking for Millwall left-back Zak Sturge in the 80th minute.

This absolutely reflects the larger problem within this league when looking at the quality of refereeing and how such decisions can have long-term consequences for teams - such as Jake Cooper's suspension recently, following a disputable fifth yellow card.

Following last weekend's intense victory over Southampton, this win further emphasised how important it is for Millwall to continue to capitalise on attacking moments and goalscoring opportunities as the season continues.

In his post-match interview, Alex Neil said: "If you want to try and be at the top end of the table, can you win games when not at your best?"

The ability within the squad to have a determined and fighting mentality while capitalising on such moments is clearly an important part of Neil's ethos.

Finally, I think it is important to note the importance of the support to this team.

Midfielder Daniel Kelly said: "The crowd were excellent, they pulled us through and got us there in the end."

I can only hope Millwall fans will continue to fill The Den and show such support as the season continues, as they are certainly the 12th man.