As the Wolves game was called off we were at a loss football wise so decided to pop down to the Den.Primarily because the contest had a few Wolves connections with Keogh playing for Millwall and Ipswich boasting Berra,Hunt,SEB,Edwards and Managed by McCarthy & Conner.Also the only other game in London we could get tickets for was Palace V Stoke.It was Hobson's Choice really...
Millwall has a reputation of being the nasiest place to visit for a football game if you're a supporter of the hosts opponents,it's not a reputation that's without a certain foundation over the years.When i have been to the Den following Wolves in the past i've always felt that the policing is partly at fault here.Instead of allowing away fans to leave at the same time as the home fans,they corral visiting supporters at the back of the North Stand for about half hour which leaves those Millwall fans who want a pop at their counterparts time to gather waiting for the police escort to take away fans to the end of Zampa Rd---Which also features a Victorian rail bridge straight out of central casting for a "Jack the Ripper" movie which only adds to the foreboding----inexplicably the police then usually decide to call a halt to the escort so that the away fans are then left to their own devices.Think of The Running Man crossed with The Hunger Games...
You could say Millwall is old school...
Millwall is also predominantly local.These days many fans will travel great distances to go to a home game at the club they support,mainly due to a few decades of families moving away from their point of origin but continuing to support their "home" club as a link to their heritage.However as far as i can ascertain many Millwall fans are born & bred in Bermondsey and will remain in the area until they shuffle off this mortal coil...A local club for local people.
After several pints around London Bridge we decided to get a cab to the ground owing to the train from London Bridge to South Bermondsey being split up by the three little words all train passengers dread,namely "Bus replacement service"
Arriving at the Den i did'nt feel any of the slight dread i normally would whilst walking to the ground,mainly because to all intents and purpose i was a Millwall fan for the day and was comfortable being surrounded by Millwall fans---Not a sentence i would normally utter---It was a slightly surreal feeling for me and to add to the weirdness we bumped into a quartet of Pearly Kings & Queens.A photo opportunity not to be missed...
A right to do and no mistake Guv'nor...Cor blimey
Millwall are down near the bottom of the Championship and in very clear danger of demotion down to Division One,hence a change of manage recently.Ian Holloway has taken over and this was his first game in front of his home fans.A win was badly needed...By contrast Ipswich are reviving under former Wolves duo McCarthy & Conner,arriving at the Den in a highly credible tenth place,pushing for the play offs...
It was hard to tell what their respective positions were as the game wore on however,Millwall were by far the better team,pressing the Ipswich midfield into mistakes and attacking with purpose,it was only the lack of a confident goalscorer that kept the game tight...
Ipswich were woeful,resorting to hoofing the ball forward to an ineffective strikeforce.At the heart of the Millwall defence the imperious Danny Shittu mopped up everything Ipswich threw at him.Been a long time since i have seen such a commanding performance from a centre half...
In keeping with what was a pretty scrappy game the only goal of the day came when Fredricks out on Millwall's right aimed a terrible cross into the box which was going nowhere till it landed in the corner of the net...Apart from a little spell either side of half time Ipswich never looked capable of getting anything from the game.
As for Millwall if they can keep up the spirit & workrate---a given under Holloway---and be a bit more composed in front of goal i can see them getting out of trouble...Funnily enough i saw a fair bit of Kenny Jackett's influence in their midfield play.After all many of these players played under him for years.
It was interesting hearing the conversations around me...They seem pleased with Holloway and equally chuffed that they may be playing West Ham next season...I did'nt ask anyone about Wolves!
All in all it was a good day.I did'nt feel intimidated at all---granted i was'nt sitting anywhere near Millwall's knuckledraggers---but chatted to some lads and never felt the need to hide my accent(or adopt a Dick Van Dyke)With a decent crowd of just over 12,000--way above their average this season---i was surprised that it was'nt noisier,i was hoping it would be a bit more raucous...
Anyhoo,we finished the night banging away a few more pints in London Bridge before going home.I enjoyed the day in the belly of the beast but truthfully would still rather have been at Crawley v Wolves...
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