Oliver Godden’s big-match verdict: Perfect birthday present for Millwall manager – Lions have nothing to lose in play-off battle.
MILLWALL 3
Smith 20, 26, 33
BY OLIVER GODDEN AT THE CITY GROUND
Gary Rowett could not have asked for a better birthday present than the 3-0 drubbing of Nottingham Forest on Friday night, gift-wrapped by hat-trick hero Matt Smith.
It was a win that showed the versatility of his squad who have often sat behind the ball away from home and, crucially, a sign that the manager is prepared to roll the dice in the hope of glory this season.
Rowett did away with the usual five-man defence deployed on the road and instead kept with an unchanged back four against a Forest side who had only lost two of their previous 11 games and had the third best defensive record in the league.
His bravery was rewarded and this fearlessness from both the manager and his players will be key if the Lions are to succeed in their hunt for a play-off spot in the final stages of this season, but it is worth noting the performances across the pitch and using it as a blueprint moving forwards.
Smith’s goals quite rightly earned him the accolades but for as good as he was, his goals would not have been possible were it not for the service from the wide men, the support from Jayson Molumby in midfield and the sharpness of Mason Bennett, whose understudy role will not get the recognition it perhaps deserves, around him.
The icing on the cake for Molumby in particular would have been a well deserved first professional goal and his celebration for Millwall’s second proved he thought he had it, but Smith’s wagging finger told the tale. It mattered little to those in the technical area.
It was clear that Rowett felt a cautious approach would have hampered his side’s chances of walking away with points.
Millwall squandered a 2-0 lead at Leeds in January, but when Smith doubled the visitors’ lead, the manager ensured his side maintained their attacking approach, a move which could have cost them a two goal advantage but instead earned them the game settler.
It wasn’t an entirely no-holds-barred approach from Millwall, though. Before and after the frenzied 13-minute spell in which Smith secured his first ever hat-trick in the league, the Lions were required to be resolute in defence.
Shaun Hutchinson barely put a foot wrong all night, as has so often been the case this season. He was on hand to quell any early Forest danger and was instrumental in weathering the brief spell of pressure the home side enjoyed mid-way through the second half. When Alex Pearce is off the pitch, Hutchinson’s leadership shines and both him and centre-back partner Jake Cooper comfortably silenced Forest’s top goalscorer Lewis Grabban and the dangerous Joao Carvalho.
Murray Wallace and Mahlon Romeo were equally as solid defensively but looked a serious threat going forwards, too. The tactical shift seemed to encourage them forwards even with less cover behind, and Smith’s first goal was thanks to some clever wing play from Wallace who exploited space in the left channel all evening.
It has seemed recently that for all their efforts, Millwall have lacked the guile and panache in the final third to really threaten.
Their last goal from open play was against Reading in mid January, incidentally also scored by Smith. This match was a different story though.
There were options aplenty going forwards and there was a genuine feeling that the visitors could have scored whenever they had the ball in the first half.
They were united and free-flowing.
Their last win on the road – at Preston North End – was an important one but not necessarily indicative of a side with the skill required to seriously challenge for the top six.
This was a completely different story.
The Millwall fans in the corner of the Bridgford Stand knew it, too.
They were full of voice from the first minute to the last – and with good reason.
Whatever noise the home faithful could muster was quickly washed out by the travelling support, and it only grew as the away side suffocated any chance of a Forest comeback in the second half.
Five of Millwall’s remaining eight games come against sides battling for Championship safety, and it’s important that regardless of the position the Lions find themselves in during the run in, they maintain positive and pursue open football.
It is the best chance they have of firing themselves into contention for the play-offs.
The slog of the league season is largely over and as they enter the home straight, Millwall have nothing to lose but everything to gain.
Millwall (4-4-2): Bialkowski 7, Romeo 8, Hutchinson 9, Cooper 8, M Wallace 8, J Wallace 7, Molumby 8, Woods 7, Ferguson 7 (Bodvarsson 86), Bennett 8 (Bradshaw 61, 6), Smith 9 (Pearce 80). Not used: Sandford, Williams, Mahoney, O’Brien.