Millwall earn a point at toothless Birmingham….but it feels like two points dropped rather than one gained

You don’t often get bad points on the road in the Championship but, make no mistake, the solitary point Millwall banked against Birmingham in midweek certainly feels like one.

The Lions have had plenty of joy against the Blues in recent years and while they may have extended their unbeaten run at St Andrew’s to seven matches, they really should have been heading back down the M40 with another three-point haul – because their hosts were there for the taking.

Just days after tearing Championship high-fliers QPR to shreds, Birmingham were toothless against the Lions and failed to test George Long in the visiting goal at all. Unfortunately, Millwall didn’t fare much better in the final third.

Tyler Burey has changed more than one game from the bench this season and he was presented with the opportunity to make an impact again after being introduced as a second-half substitute.

The former AFC Wimbledon man pipped Dion Sanderson to a loose ball just inside Birmingham’s half and was clean through on goal in the 75th minute. Burey did have the option of Andreas Voglsammer square but elected to go alone – unfortunately his effort was tame and straight at John Ruddy, who was otherwise untroubled.

It was a gilt-edged chance for Burey, who simply had to either score or square the ball. In hindsight, he took the wrong option. But he wasn’t alone –

Millwall were blighted by poor decision-making in the final third all night.

Mason Bennett and George Honeyman occupied the wide attacking berths either side of Andreas Voglsammer – who showed some neat touches in the number nine role – but both were pretty ineffective on the flanks.

The Lions have generally been a different animal since switching to a 4-2-3-1 shape, but the tactical tweak has also unearthed fresh issues for Rowett to ponder.

Few would argue that Millwall did some excellent business in the transfer window but the squad feels a little lopsided now the Lions have ditched the five-man defence.

While Burey is an out-and-out winger and Bennett and Voglsammer are capable of doing a job on the flanks, there is a real dearth of genuine widemen available for Rowett to call upon. If Millwall are to persist with this approach in the long run – and recent results certainly suggest that they should – then that will need amending in January.

Perhaps the biggest positive from another dour away day is that the personnel behind Millwall’s three-pronged attack pretty much picks itself right now, bar the absence of Shaun Hutchinson.

George Saville and Billy Mitchell have struck up a formidable partnership in midfield – the former’s inclusion in the team is a must when Hutchinson is absent, while Mitchell has evolved remarkably in recent months to become the club’s standout midfielder. Jake Cooper and Charlie Cresswell have had their critics this term but kept the wily duo of Troy Deeney and Scott Hogan quiet.

Ultimately, this won’t live long in the memory of the 543 hearty souls who travelled up to the second city to roar the Lions on.

Tepid displays on the road have become something of a hallmark for Millwall recently. While I don’t think anybody was expecting the Lions to suddenly turn into an omnipotent force away from SE16 after breaking their away day duck at Bristol City, that maiden victory at Ashton Gate felt like it could – and should – be the catalyst to spark a vast improvement in Millwall’s away form.

A result on the road against Preston before the World Cup break would go a long way to turning a corner. The obvious caveat of banking just one point from six on the road in the last few days is that Millwall are still handsomely positioned ahead of the mini-break. A home match against struggling Hull also gives Millwall the chance to boost their point tally before the domestic campaign resumes in December.

There’s plenty to be positive about for the Lions as we head into the break and the outlook is certainly much brighter than it was a few weeks back.

STAR MAN
Billy Mitchell. The Millwall academy graduate has taken his game to a new level.

BEST MOMENT
Tyler Burey didn’t score after bursting through on goal but it was the game’s only real moment of excitement.