Key events
41 min Millwall knock it about with Joseph down following a challenge with Ballo. So McBurnie nauses the ref to stop the game, which he won’t, then Neghli sends a cross behind and the physio comes on.
40 min We cut to Phil Brown, on comms for someone or other. He’s wearing a leather jacket with a cravat, of course he is.
39 min “My school scarf was blue and black stripes, so I wore it to an Anglo-Italian cup match between Crystal Palace and Inter Milan,” returns Richards Hirst. “My school friends were Palace supporters so of course I had to support Inter.”
School scarf! Alright, Jennings!
37 min Millwall attack again, De Norre crossing into Hughes, who bares his chest and, though his arm takes some of the impact, it was by his side and from close by, so never a penalty. The corner comes to nowt, Pandur sends it long, and Sturge anticipates well, taking the ball from Millar.
36 min Then, from the corner, McBurnie thinks he’s been fouled, but the ref says not and Millwall clear.
36 min Coyle pings a crossfield pass to the wing-back on the other side, GIles controlling and whipping in a fine cross, McBurnie is up, he heads powerfully … and Patterson tips over the top.
35 min Mazou0-Sacko looks to pick a pass into the box but, when Hull close all the gaps, he opts to shoot, failing to catch properly an effort which trickles through to Pandur.
33 min The free-kick is an aimless one, lacking pace, and Azeez heads into touch then, when the ball comes back, Egan, 15 yards out, goes for goal with little chance of scoring, the effort flying over the top.
31 min Cooper catches Joseph with an outstretched arm, so Hull have a free-kick out on the right, 45 yards from goal.
31 min This time, Joseph floats his kick to the far post, where Pandur claims confidently.
30 min Millwall win a throw deep inside the Hull half and Sturge’s delivery is headed clear, but Hughes then misses his kick, forcing McBurnie to block a shot behind.
28 min Another decent shade of football blue. Funnily enough, my school uniform was this colour, ish, and they’ve since changed to a more Millwall hue. Makes you think.
26 min From the opposite side, Joseph tries an outswinger and, at the near post, Crama makes first contact, but the ball flies off his head, across the face, and away.
25 min Momentum in this game has switched, Millwall dominating midfield with Mazoou-Sacko to the fore and Neghli taking up good positions in the pocket. They win another corner…
23 min Joseph swings the corner in to the near post, so Pandur flies out to punch clear, picking out Neghli on the edge. He opts to shoot first time … but drags wide of the near post.
22 min Neghli runs at the heart of the Hull defence, rolling studs over the ball while on the move, before it makes its way over to Azeez, who leathers another shot … blocked behind for a corner.
20 min Millwall are into this now, knocking it about at the back and probing up front.
18 min First bit of serious Millwall pressure, a ball in from the right causing consternation as Neghli head back across, but it won’t quite drop for any of the various attackers on hand, the three defenders on the line eventually contriving to clear the immediate danger. But Millwall sustain the attack, Azeez cutting in off the right and, from a narrow angle, springing into a shot with Pandur tips away.
16 min The delivery from the corner is excellent, Hughes winning the flick-on and, at the back post, Crooks is there, looking to flick a shot from behind his standing leg, but he misses the ball completely. Had he connected, he’d almost definitely have scored.
15 min Hull get it wide and Coyle takes a touch to get the ball out of his feet, then swings over a terrific cross, Copper doing really well to thunk a header behind under pressure from Joseph.
15 min Like this, for example
13 min “As a Chelsea fan from South London,” says Julian Merz, “I’m not particularly fond of Millwall as you might imagine, but their kit is awesome, that perfect shade of blue. As for Hull? Meh. If you’re tigers, then wear the stripes with pride!”
I was contemplating the shade of blue myself. I like it as one one would feel comfortable wearing, but think I prefer brighter hues in my football kits.
10 min On halfway, by the touchline, Meghli megs Egan, who piles in and catches him pretty high, just below the knee; he’s booked. I’ve not a clue why he decided to make that challenge because there was no danger, but he’s now one rash tackle away from a red card.
9 min The corner goes to the back post, where Hughes meets hit, heading down weakly and allowing Patterson to save. There wasn’t loads of pace on the ball and he didn’t have much net at which to aim, but that was a poor effort nevertheless.
8 min Hull have started with excellent conviction, and are still knocking it about nicely, Pandur passing through the lines to get an attack going before Giles crosses from the left, Cooper getting the ball caught under his feet and allowing McBurnie to intercede, winning a corner.
6 min Millwall win a free-kick on halfway and send the big lads forward, but the delivery is poor, Hull clear, and when they counter, Mazou-Sacko nashes after a loose ball, catching up with it just before it goes behind for a corner. The home crowd love that, their team now in the game.
5 min The corner comes to nowt.
4 min Hull win another corner, a pair of flat-capped Peaky Blinders men giving him dog’s abuse. This time, his release is better and McBurnie flicks on, winning a corner.
3 min The corner goes to the near post and Egan is up early, but he tries to do too much, looking to guide the ball when a simple flick would’ve done, and it flies over the bar
3 min Hull have started well, Giles going at Azeez on the outside, the eventuating challenge earning him a corner.
1 min The atmosphere rages as Hull win a throw deep inside the Millwall half, Patterson blocking the sun with his hand – perhaps a cap is in order? Then Millar runs in, releases … and the ball flips just above his head, then trickles away; laughter.
1 min And away we go!
The teams are tunnelled … and here they come!
So where is the game? I expect Millwall will look to start fast, pressing high and getting the ball forward quickly. They’ll hope to play off Coburn and feed Azeez to get him coming in off the flank for shots and crosses.
Hull, meanwhile, will play more patiently, sliding balls in behind for McBurnie, with Millar and Joseph roaming in behind.
I remember Arsene Wenger once saying that a reason Manchester United won three titles in a row, 99-01, was that there were so many London derbies. It’s possible, though, that United v Liverpool could hold its own with Arsenal v Charlton.
Email! “As a supporter of another London team,” writes Richard Hirst, “I don’t mind which of Spurs or West Ham goes down; reducing the number of London derbies is simply a good thing. On that basis I don’t really want Millwall to go up, but wouldn’t it be the ultimate nightmare for West Ham supporters if Millwall took their place!”
It would, though it’s worth noting that a Spurs fan emailed in a few weeks ago, fearing the same scenario but with his team replaced by Millwall…
Meantime, in other pundit news, Gary Rowett is sure there’ll be a “rauseous” atmosphere in the ground.
I … quite like Curtis Davies’ rig?
Jakirovic says he changed formation for greater stability, after Millwall’s first-leg tactics of keeping both full-backs high and filling the pockets with midfielders. He sympathises with Kyle Joseph who, competing with McBurnie for a spot, hasn’t had many minutes this season, but he scored two the last time the teams played here and is feeling good.
I guess any win, however minor, is a win.
If you missed the first leg, the highlights are here. The goal Millwall scored was extremely harshly disallowed.
Neil says he was tempted to make changes but he’s made only one in five games, so decided to leave it, with options on the bench. His team have a good record against back fives, he adds, wondering if the form of Josh Coburn, who played well in midweek, forced Jakirovic’s hand, and he’s sure the home crowd will get the team going.
The first leg saw some classic Grown Men action:
And for balance, here’s some classic Hull.
Some lovely goals in this game, from Millwall’s only top-division stint.
Also going on:
I’m a little surprised Gelhardt’s been left out tonight. My guess is that Jakirovic fancies using him later in the match, against tired legs – especially with the prospect of extra time.
Naturally, I’m entirely impartial. But if I weren’t, I’d be finding it hard to root for perhaps the worst chant in football – and it’s a crowded field.
So, why the change? My sense is that Jakirovic wants to make it harder for Millwall to penetrate the centre, hence a three at the back with the intention of forcing them to go around the outside, while the two men in behind McBurnie should be harder to pick up now their roles are freer.
Neil keeps the same Millwall XI; Jakirovic makes two changes in personnel, Semi Ajayi and Kyle Joseph replacing Mohamed Belloumi and Joe Gelhardt, and one in formation, Friday’s 4-2-3-1 swapped for a 3-4-2-1.
Teams!
Millwall (4-2-3-1): Patterson; Leonard, Crama, Cooper, Sturge; De Norre, Mazou-Sacko; Azeez, Neghli, Ballo; Coburn. Subs: Crocombe, McNamara, Mitchell, Ivanovic, Doughty, Langstaff, Watson, Cundle, Bannan.
Hull City (3-4-2-1): Pandur; Ajayi, Egan, Hughes; Coyle, Slater, Crooks, Giles; Joseph, Millar; McBurnie. Subs: Phillips, Lundstram, Belloumi, Hirakawa, Gelhardt, Famewo, Dowell, Koumas, McNair.
Referee: Sam Barott (Yorkshire)
Preamble
In 1988-89 and 1989-90, Millwall played in Football League Division 1, the only time in their history they’ve been part of the elite. Since then, they’ve remained in the second and third tiers, spending the last eight seasons zooming between eighth and 13th in the Championship, save for the exhilarating outlier of 2018-19, in which they finished 21st.
All of which makes tonight their biggest game in generations – with, of course, a respectful nod to the 2004 FA Cup final. Even a season in the Premier League can change a club’s future, and we need only look at how well Leeds and Sunderland have performed to see that a coherent strategy can deliver exceptional results.
Alex Neil’s outfit are warm favourites tonight, having won three and drawn two of their last five league games in the process of finishing 10 points above Hull – who limped into the final playoff berth having taken just five in the same period – and one behind promoted Ipswich. A goalless draw at the MKM means they’re now a home win away from Wembley.
At this stage of the season, though, things are rarely that simple. Sergej Jakirovic’s men are rarely shut out and, in Oli McBurnie and Joe Gelhardt, boast the second and sixth top-scorers in the Championship. But though only Middlesbrough and the promoted clubs have conceded fewer goals than Millwall, in no sense can this contest be characterised as attack against defence. The home side will look to go forward and, in Femi Azeez, have an in-form attacker who knows how to score, the clash of styles – one direct and the other expansive – along with a rabid crowd, should deliver us an evening of rare intensity.
Kick-off: 8pm BST