Millwall Report Card

By: Dr Fishy
Date: 18/11/2001

DR FISHY has compiled match statistics and a report card for the Grimsby Town side that draw 2-2 at home to Millwall in a highly entertaining game.

Coyne: He was perhaps asked to work more than he wanted to, but he still rose to the occasion making a couple of good saves, one in particular when he tipped a vicious shot over the bar in the first half. He also performed a great save which set up Sadlier's missed chance.

Grade: B

Butterfield: Just one lapse of concentration during the 90 minutes when he was caught in two minds about whether to hoof the ball up the field or pass it back to Coyne. Otherwise I won't be too critical, it was an average performance, no more, no less.

Grade: C

Chapman: Looks of confusion appeared in the stands when Chapman took to the field in Gally's absence. Still, he did the job, and did it very well indeed. He surprises many people when he wins the ball in the air. Defensively he was very sound and slotted into the starting 11 with no fuss.

Grade: B-

Broomes: Another one who always looks smaller when up against the opposition's strike force, yet when surrounded by Town players he's one of our tallest. It was another good game for the loan player but questions must be asked about the two goals we conceded - both were extremely sloppy.

Grade: C+

Groves: Again, maybe both aren't to blame but it has to lie somewhere. He missed a golden opportunity to score from a free header on the penalty spot from a Pouton corner. That made everyone turn to another and say: "He would have scored that two seasons ago". He still looks uncomfortable at the back.

Grade: C-

Campbell: He was probably one of our quietest players on the pitch and didn't seem to be amongst the action. He sometimes provided an outlet on the right but never really pushed forward enough to support the front pair of Rowan and Allen. Still, it wasn't a bad performance.

Grade: C

Boulding: He was extremely quiet in the first half and only had one chance to really run at the Millwall defence. It's well known he has bags of pace but he just needs to learn a few skills to really threaten defences even more. Came into the match in the second half and appeared everywhere. Deserved his goal in the end.

Grade: B

Pouton: Once again he was strong in midfield. He chased every ball and battled for the full 90 minutes and looked as if he could play for another more 90. He was able to swing in some dangerous free kicks and corners, except for one in the first half. Another good performance from the emerging midfielder.

Grade: B-

Willems: Didn't have to put up with the same amount of criticism this game because of a slightly improved performance. He seemed to follow Pouton's attitude and harried the Millwall midfield. I'm not sure how fast Menno is, but he was caught flat-footed on some occasions.

Grade: C

Rowan: Worked tirelessly and got a goal on his return to the side. Really it was his strike partner Allen who seemed to be doing most of the work, but that's no disrespect on Rowan's part as he was there at the right time to score the goal. He wasn't all over the place like Allen was.

Grade: B-

Allen: Another fine performance from who has become Lennie Lawrence's first choice striker after being fourth down the order just a few weeks ago. He still needs that goal which his work deserves but as long as he continues to run about and cause defences problems, we're always going to create chances.

Grade: B

SUBS

Burnett: Wasn't on long enough. He replaced Willems I think but never had an effect on the game.

Raven: Was on the field when we conceded very late on. He is one of three players who I would like to blame for the sloppy goals we conceded.

Thompson: I think this sub was a ploy from Lawrence to 'time-waste' but not to the desired effect. I think he came on in the third minute of injury time, touched the ball to give Millwall a throw and then had to see them score the equaliser a minute later.

Best part of Town's performance: Going forward it was like the Birmingham game, except Millwall weren't as sloppy as Birmingham so we had to be careful on the break. Allen was at the heart of every move forward and we actually worked the opposing goalkeeper for one.

Areas for improvement: We did seem to play this game in patches. For the first 20 minutes we played like the away side, but once we pushed forward and created a half chance it seemed to settle the players. Then we'd go to sleep again and let the opposition dictate the run of play. In the second half we were the better team for 20 minutes but then we decided to sit on 2-1 and were punished for it. Conceding late goals was something we never seemed to do last season, but this campaign we have performed it on at least three occasions.

Entertainment scale: Well, Lennie said before the game to the press that he would ideally like four points from the next four games. He got his point and it could have been a dull 0-0 (i.e. last week) but we were all treat to a great game, it was end to end stuff, the second half was a cracker, even if we were all disappointed in the way it ended.

8 (would have been a 9 if we had won it).

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