Millwall provide the next test for Paul Warne’s Rotherham United as they travel to The Den on Saturday in the Sky Bet Championship. Here we take a look at who the Millers will be facing in our opposition analysis…
In the Dugout
Neil Harris will be the man in the dugout for Millwall on Saturday. The former striker is regarded as a Millwall legend after becoming the club’s top goalscorer in their history, surpassing Teddy Sheringham’s 111 goals. Harris also represented Cambridge City, Cardiff City, Nottingham Forest, Gillingham and Southend United in his playing career. He also won promotion to the Championship with Millwall via the Play-offs in 2010 and was part of the PFA Team of the Year for the Second Division in 2001.
Harris retired as a player in 2013 and joined Millwall U21 as a manager. He had a short spell as caretaker manager for Millwall in 2013/14 before becoming the permanent Lions’ boss in April 2015. He guided the club to promotion to the Championship in 2017, via the Play-offs, beating Bradford City 1-0 at Wembley courtesy of a goal from Steve Morison.
Stats
Millwall currently sit 19th in the Championship table, four points ahead of the Millers who lie in 21st. In the league, Millwall have won three of their last five, drawing once and losing once. They have also progressed to the fifth round of the FA Cup after beating fellow Championship side Hull City 2-1 and Premier League side Everton 3-2.
The last time Millwall played was their 3-2 FA Cup win against Everton. Richarlison opened the scoring for Everton before Lee Gregory equalised for the Lions. Everton regained the lead through Cenk Tosun before Jake Cooper levelled for Millwall. With the tie looking to go to a replay, Murray Wallace scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to send Millwall into the fifth round.
Previous Meetings
This will be the 36th meeting between these sides with both teams winning 13 of these fixtures each, with there being nine draws. The first time these teams met was in November 1963 in the League Cup, with the Millers winning 6-2. Rotherham have won the last three times these teams have met, most recently in August 2018. A 1-0 win at the AESSEAL New York Stadium courtesy of a goal from Sean Raggett gave the Millers all three points. The last time the Millers travelled to The Den was in August 2014 with Rotherham winning 1-0. A second-half goal from Ben Pringle sealed all three points for the Millers that day.
Ones to Watch
Our Ones to Watch start with goalkeeper Jordan Archer. The 25-year old started at Charlton Athletic’s Academy before moving to Tottenham Hotspur in 2009. Archer has had five loan spells in his career representing Harrow Borough, Bishop’s Stortford, Wycombe Wanderers, Northampton Town and Millwall. He joined Millwall permanently in 2015 and he has represented Scotland from U19 level to senior level.
In defence, Jake Cooper is one of Millwall’s FA Cup heroes this season. The 23-year old started his career at Reading and has represented England at U18, U19 and U20 level. He joined Millwall initially on loan in January 2017 before making the move permanent in July 2017. He scored in the 3-2 Everton FA Cup win and helped Millwall with promotion to the Championship in 2017.
In midfield, Ryan Leonard has stepped up in recent weeks. The 26-year old started at Plymouth Argyle and had loan spells at Weston-Super-Mare and Tiverton Town. He joined Southend United in 2011 and represented the Shrimpers over 200 times. He was with Sheffield United last season before joining Millwall on loan in August 2018. In January, he has signed a permanent deal with Millwall for a club record fee.
Upfront, experienced striker Steve Morison is a threat. The 35-year old scored the goal to promote Millwall to the Championship in 2017 and is currently the club captain. He has represented England C and Wales in his international career and has represented a variety of clubs which include Norwich City and Leeds United.