Tired-looking Millwall fade to grey as Bristol City make off with the spoils
Millwall (0) 0
Bristol City (0) 2 Vyner 53, Cornick 83
An abject Millwall surrendered with a whimper as the effort they put into Saturday's FA Cup tie at Crystal Palace took its toll.
They looked drained as well as bereft of ideas and the hard-working visitors deservedly made their superior football pay off with two second half goals.
Maybe those who stayed away had an inkling it would turn out this way just a couple of days after the toil involved in battling with 10-men against a Premier League side.
Those who did show up did their best to uphold the Lions' famed belligerence, with chants of "One Liam Roberts" and rounds of applause in the eighth minute to mark the goalkeeper's sending off in that minute at Selhurst - as if showing respect to a dead fan.
Call it gallows humour. Or maybe Trumpian defiance of what might be considered normal. The season may soon be on its last legs but the defiance remains undiminished.
Never mind that the keeper's rash stupidity cost the Lions a realistic chance of an FA Cup upset. Most clubs might not see maiming an opponent as worthy of cult status, but then we all know the Wall are different.
Roberts' replacement at Palace, Lukas Jensen, had a fine game after coming on and looked sharp again tonight - making a save with his legs after a short-corner routine almost caught the Lions napping - then he dived full length to deny Scott Twine's effort from distance. But he was beaten twice by scrappy goals to compound a disappointing week.
There was little sign of penetration with Femi Azeez struggling to make an impact before the break. He was replaced by Aidomo Emakhu, who was soon taking on defenders and using his pace to threaten a hitherto untroubled City defence.
But it was the visitors - playing the more measured football - who look the lead from a corner when Cameron Pring's low cross was turned in at the far post by defender Zak Vyner.
Mihailo Ivanovic fed on scraps. He blazed one half-chance well over following another good dart in from the left by Emakhu but increasing frustration and dissatisfaction in home ranks became the order of the day. Josh Coburn came on for Luke Cundle but it made no difference.
It was no surprise when Bristol put the game to bed - two subs involved. Jensen saved a first shot from Sam Bell and Harry Cornick was on hand to prod home the loose ball.
The stands - hardly that full to begin with - quickly emptied.
All of a sudden, the season is entering it's final furlong and perhaps this time, unremarkable mid-table will do quite nicely, given that early-season sequence of one win in 11 which threatened to usher in a relegation battle.
Just five home games remain after today and while the top six is not yet impossible, Alex Neil knows that realistically the remaining months are going to be about building a base for next year's campaign.
They now trail the coveted spots by seven points and on this showing have way too big a gap to bridge - especially with tough games at Watford and Leeds to come next.
Lions: (4-2-3-1) Jensen - Crama, Tanganga, Cooper, Bryan - Mitchell (Saville 80), De Norre (Honeyman 80) - Bangura-Williams, Cundle (Coburn 69), Azeez (Emakhu h/t) - Ivanovic
Robins: (3-4-3) O'Leary - Vyner, Dickie, Pring (Bell 76) - Tanner, Bird, Knight, Sykes (Roberts 69) - Earthy, Armstrong (Cornick 69), Twine (Williams 82)
Attendance: 12,380
Comments