Highly unusual situation for Millwall head coach after power failure scuppers Portsmouth fixture

BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk

Millwall head coach Neil Harris was placed in the unusual scenario of beginning to prepare for Saturday’s Championship fixture at Oxford United at the time when his side should have been in action against Portsmouth.

Wednesday night’s match at Fratton Park was called off, 55 minutes after the match should have started, due to a power failure.

The floodlights cut out minutes before kick-off and although some power returned, Portsmouth chief executive Andrew Cullen revealed there were still issues with crowd safety as well as Millwall’s travelling support being able to catch trains back to the capital.

While supporters headed for the exits once a decision was announced, both sets of players carried out training sessions on the pitch.

“We thank Portsmouth for allowing us to do it – a lot of clubs wouldn’t,” Harris told Millwall TV. “We really appreciate that.

“It is bizarre, I have to start thinking straight away about Oxford. I won’t need to watch the game back, so that is one less game for me to watch in the morning!

“I can start looking at Oxford and a different challenge.

“There was no Duncan Watmore or Shaun Hutchinson tonight. Whether they have got a chance for the weekend we will have to see over the next 48 hours. It gives people an opportunity to get a little bit closer.”

Harris had made three changes for the game on the South Coast with Femi Azeez, who scored the late leveller against Sunderland on Saturday, coming into the side along with Murray Wallace and Tom Bradshaw.

Midfielder Billy Mitchell, who has missed the whole campaign with a quad injury, was named on the bench.

Millwall are ninth in the table and unbeaten in their last eight league games.

Oxford have lost their last three matches – the latest a 3-0 midweek reverse at Sheffield United in which Crystal Palace loanee Jes Rak-Sakyi was on the scoresheet – and they have taken three points from a possible 18, a 1-0 win over Hull City at the start of the month.

Millwall have not played a league match there since the 2016-17 season when goals from Steve Morison and Aiden O’Brien earned a 2-1 victory.

Oxford did knock them out of the EFL Cup in August 2019, prevailing 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in which Icelander Jon Dadi Bodvarsson claimed a brace.