The Den (Millwall)

Welcome to the latest instalment of the Gloucester Groundhopper blog.

For this instalment, AFC Finners and I travelled to London for some FA Cup action. We went to South Bermondsey to see Millwall take on Sheffield United, another Championship side. Our host for the day was The Den.

It's All In The Name

Millwall FC used to be known as the Dockers. The original Dockers name arose from the job of many of the club's supporters in the early 1900s. The club did not like the moniker and changed the nickname to the Lions after press headlined Millwall as 'Lions of the South', after knocking Football League leaders Aston Villa out of the 1899–1900 FA Cup.

Some Notable People From Bermondsey

• David Haye-Boxer

• Jade Goody- TV Personality

• Michael Barrymore- Actor

• Gary Beadle- Actor

• David Courtney-Gangster

Some Notable Former Players

Teddy Sheringham

Tim Cahill

Adebayo Akinfenwa

Dion Dublin

Glen Johnson

Neil Ruddock

Harry Kane

An Interview With Millwall Supporter, Myles Thornton:

MT: Hi, thanks for having me on to do this interview.

GG: Hi Myles, howlong have you been a Millwall supporter, and how has your experience with the club been?

MT: I've been a Millwall fan for most of my life because my family supports them, but I didn't like football until I was about 9 or 10 years old, when my mother begged me to go because she loved it and also because my primary school was giving away free tickets, and the only time I've put a ball down since then is now due to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury.

GG: How has Gary Rowett made an impression on the club?

MT: Gary Rowett has been fine. We haven't accomplished anything under him because he is a defensive manager. I was one of the games calling for him to be sacked because of how defensive he is, but he has done brilliantly this season by listening to us fans and switching to a four at the back. We've played brilliantly since he did that.

GG: Who is Millwall's standout performer this season?

MT: Millwall's standout performer this season is unquestionably Zian Flemming of Bermondsey Bergkamp. Rowett has wanted to bring him in for a few seasons now. He was linked with both us and Nottingham Forest in the summer, but he turned down the chance to join the Premier League and came to us in the Championship, citing Millwall's desire to bring him in. He has played 20 league games and scored 10 goals since joining. He is, without a doubt, the Bermondsey Bergkamp.

GG: What was your favourite moment from the World Cup in Qatar?

MT: My favourite moment from the Qatar World Cup was definitely Messi lifting the trophy, not an England moment. He is, without a doubt, the goat (greatest of all time).

GG: Who is your all-time favourite player?

MT: My favourite player in the world of football and who I have seen play has to be Lionel Messi, but at the best club in London (Millwall), I'd say Tim Cahill, the man, the myth, the legend. I'm honoured to have witnessed such a footballing legend play, especially at the Den!

GG: What has been your favourite football match as a Millwall fan?

MT: As a Millwall fan, the best match I've seen is the 2017 play-off final against Bradford, where Steve Morison scored a fantastic goal off a fantastic assist by Lee Gregory at Wembley Stadium. For most Millwall fans, Keith Stevens, who led us to the first division in 1988-89, is the manager who has left the most memories, but for me, it is Neil Harris, who led us to victory at Wembley in 2017.

GG: Who do you think was the most powerful team to play at Millwall's stadium?

MT: When we beat Leicester City 1-0 in the FA Cup, I thought they were the best team to play at the Den. They were the Champions of England at the time.

GG: Can you tell us about Millwall's style of play in general?

MT: In general, we play quite well (at least lately); we mostly play in a 4-2-3-1 formation and have recently switched to an attacking formation as a result of Rowett's listening to the fans.

GG: Finally, can you tell us a funny Millwall story?

MT: Well, this is more of a personal funny Millwall story, but after losing 3-0 to Manchester United in the FA Cup final in 2004, my mother thought it would be best to run after the Millwall coach to see Mr Dennis Wise, but she fell over and broke her toe. If any of the Millwall players had seen it, I believe they would have stopped the bus. That would have been epic!

Thanks for having me.

A History Lesson From AFC Finners

Millwall FC was founded in 1885 as Millwall Rovers by a group of workers from an Isle Of Dogs canning and preserve factory. They started out on waste ground, but soon moved to a patch of land behind a pub called The Lord Nelson.

When they moved to The Athletic Grounds in 1889, they changed their name to Millwall Athletic. They were founding members of the Southern League and won the competition's first two editions. They reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1900 and 1903, before moving to North Greenwich in 1901. In 1908 and 1909, they won the Western Football League twice in a row.

They returned home in 1910, settling at The Den, where they remained until 1993. In 1920, they dropped the "athletic" from their name and joined the football league, where they played in the third division. They would win this championship in 1928, scoring 87 goals at home, a record that still stands today. Throughout the next decade, there would be large crowds, with nearly 50,000 people attending some games. They had lofty goals as one of the best-supported and wealthiest clubs in the country, but their dreams were dashed when World War II broke out.

The war devastated the club, with parts of The Den being destroyed in The Blitz . In 1948, they were relegated to the third tier, and in 1950, they were forced to apply for re-election to the football league. Despite their poor fortunes throughout the 1950s, they still drew crowds of over 20,000 and upset Newcastle in 1957, knocking them out of the FA Cup, no mean feat considering the Magpies had won three FA Cups that decade.

They would end up in the Fourth Division, but won the title in 1962, and despite being relegated in 1964, they would go on to win two consecutive promotions. They came agonisingly close to promotion to the top flight in 1971 thanks to an unbeaten record at The Den.

George Graham managed the club for a time in the 1980s, winning promotion to the second division, but they also made headlines for the wrong reasons when a riot broke out during a game against Luton in 1985, injuring 81 people.

John Docherty took over as manager in 1988, and led the club to the top flight for the first time in their history. Tony Cascarino and Teddy Sheringham's partnership even saw them briefly top the league, and they finished their first season in the top flight in 10th place. They were, however, relegated in 1990.

They relocated to The New Den in 1993, but were demoted to the third tier in 1996. They were placed under administration for a time before being rescued by Dragons' Den star Theo Paphitis. They made their first appearance at Wembley in 1999, but lost to Wigan, and then again in the playoff semi-finals the following season.

They won Division Two in 2001 with a total of 93 points. The following season, they made the second-tier playoffs, and in 2004, they reached the FA Cup final for the first time in their history, losing 3-0 to Manchester United in Cardiff. As a result, they qualified for Europe, but were defeated by Ferencvaros in the first round of the UEFA Cup.

After a disastrous season in 2006, they were relegated to League One, but Kenny Jackett would lead them to a number of promising finishes, including a playoff final win at Wembley in 2010 to return to the Championship. They stayed in the area until 2015. Former player Neil Harris would take charge, and they would win the FA Cup against the Premier League champions. After losing the playoff final the previous year, they defeated Bradford City at Wembley to reclaim their place in the Premier League. Since then, they have remained in the Championship, flirting with the playoffs in the hope of one day reaching the glory of the Premier League.

In addition, Millwall were the first team to host an English Football League match on a Sunday, as prior to their game against Fulham on January 20, 1974, English teams were prohibited from charging admission to games on Sundays.

Honours

🏆 Second Division (Champions: 1988)

🏆 Third Division: (Champions: 1928, 1938, 2001) (Promoted: 1966, 1976, 1985)

🏆 Fourth Division (Champions: 1965)

🏆 Football League Group Cup ( Winners: 1983)

🏆 FA Youth Cup (Winners: 1979, 1991)

🏆 Third Division South Cup (Winners: 1937)

🏆 Kent Senior Shield (Winners: 1912,1913)

🏆 London Challenge Cup (Winners: 1909,1915, 1928, 1938)

🏆 Western Football League (Winners: 1908, 1909)

🏆 Southern Football League (Winners: 1895, 1896)

🏆 London League (Champions: 1904)

🏆 United League (Champions: 1897, 1899)

🏆 East London Senior Cup (Winners: 1887, 1888, 1889)

🏆 East London FA Cup (Joint Winners: 1886)

Matchday: Millwall 0-2 Sheffield United

On a cold Saturday morning, we travelled to London. We parked at Hillingdon Station, which is our usual parking spot. We then took the Underground into Central London. Because of the rail strikes, getting to Millwall was a nightmare, as trains were not running to South Bermondsey station, and I've been told that the usual route would be to take the over ground train from London Bridge to South Bermondsey. As a result, we took the Tube to Canada Water and then the P12 bus to South Bermondsey. I believe the journey from Canada Water to Millwall is walkable for the fitter, but I'm lazy, so I took the bus.

We walked down to the ground from the bus stop and came across Mel's Cafe. We made the decision to eat here and ordered a Full English Breakfast and a Cheese Salad. The food was delicious and excellent value for money given that we were in London. We were served enormous portions, which were delicious. There was also food available at the stadium, so AFC Finners treated himself to a cheese and onion pie, which he thoroughly enjoyed. I bought a Huski Hot Chocolate, which was amazing and really tasty, and I highly recommend it.

The people at the ground were extremely pleasant. I must admit that I have little experience with Millwall supporters, and due to the media's portrayal of their supporters, I expected to be in a very toxic environment. My assumption could not be further from the truth. The Millwall fans were extremely friendly, funny, and enjoyable to be around. They rallied around their team, and it was a pleasure to be around them. Everyone was extremely helpful and eager to assist us.

In comparison to other clubs, the ticketing system was efficient. We were made aware of the availability by a friend of mine, so myself and AFC Finners purchased a couple of tickets for £15 each, which was incredible value considering it was a Championship ground in London and the game was between second and sixth in the Championship. We could also have the tickets delivered to my house, which was a nice extra.

The atmosphere was pleasant. There was a small group of supporters in the Dockers Stand (where we were) who sang throughout the game; they were a good laugh, and it was great to see them getting behind the team. It was also great to see how rarely there was silence in the ground. As previously stated, the Millwall fans were a hoot, especially when there was what could only be described as a monsoon. It was clear as we stood in the rain watching the game that it was a really fun atmosphere.

Teamsheet

Millwall

Manager: Gary Rowett

Bartosz Bialkowski

Danny McNamara

Murray Wallace

Shaun Hutchinson (c)

Tom Bradshaw

Charlie Cresswell

Jamie Shackleton

Mason Bennett

Andreas Voglshammer

George Saville

George Honeyman

Substitutes

Conal Trueman

Jake Cooper

George Evans

Billy Mitchell

Zian Flemming

Ryan Leonard

Romain Esse

Sheffield United

Manager: Paul Heckingbottom

Adam Davies

Enda Stevens

Jack Robinson

John Egan

Chris Basham

Jaden Bogle ⚽️

Oliver Norwood

John McAtee

Iliman NDiaye

Daniel Jebbison ⚽️

Substitutes

Wes Foderingham

George Baldock

Sander Berge

Billy Sharp

Anel Ahmedhodzic

Ismaela Coulibaly

Andre Brooks

Jili Buyabu

Louie Marsh

Sheffield United put Millwall under immediate pressure, with Iliman Ndiaye firing from the edge of the box over the top of the goal inside the first minute of the game. The Blades were clearly fired up for the game and Daniel Jebbison, who has struggled for game time in South Yorkshire this season, won a corner in the fourth minute with a powerful shot from the edge of the area. Robinson jumped to meet the delivery into the box, but he missed the target. As the first half came to a close, the visitors maintained control of the game.

Millwall searched desperately for an equaliser but the second strike went in the Blades' favour after some poor defending from Charlie Cresswell just after the half-hour mark. Ndiaye breezed past the Leeds United loanee with ease, setting up Jayden Bogle for a deflected effort that looped into the back of the net to make it 2-0. Millwall's best chance of the half came just two minutes before halftime, when Sheffield United went to sleep at the back. It gave Tom Bradshaw the opportunity to work the ball around the left side of the goal, but his effort was blocked for a corner, which the visitors defended well.

In the 47th minute, Zian Flemming had a good chance to change the game, but his tame effort sailed wide. After coming on, Jake Cooper was immediately thrown into the action, blocking a good effort from Ndiaye on the edge of the box. In the final 20 minutes, both teams had chances. First, after the ball bounced around the Blades' box, Andreas Voglsammer somehow fired a glorious close-range opportunity past the post. Soon after, Blades sub Billy Sharp rounded Bialkowski and shot at goal, but Cooper came rushing back to clear it off the line. Millwall pushed forward in the closing stages, but they were unable to test Davies or create any clear chances, sending Sheffield United to the FA Cup fourth round.

Scores On The Doors

Atmosphere: 8/10

Food and Drink: 7.5/10

Stadium: 8.5/10

Welcome: 9/10

Overall Experience: 9/10

GG