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TONY Cascarino, Millwall's £220,000 new signing, is the man who can kill off Fourth Divison Leyton Orient's giant-killing hopes in tonight's Littlewoods Cup tie at the Den
(7.30 p.m.)
By ROB BOWDEN
Cascarino sounded a watch out warning to defences up and down the country with his first Second Division goal and an accomplished all-round performance during Millwall's 3-1 victory over Barnsley on Saturday.
And one man who doesn't need any convincing about Cascarino's powers of finishing is Orient manager Frank Clarke.
"He is something of a bogey-wan as far as I am concerned," admitted the O's boss." I don't think
I ever finished on the winning side against him when he was at Gillingham and he certainly caused us all sorts of problems in the first leg."
Millwall will start as odds -on favourite for aplace in the next round after last week's 1-1 draw at Brisbane Road, and manager John Docherty is likely to rely on the same side that beat Barnsley so convincingly at the weekend.
Danis Salman passed a fitness test before that game but is likely to continue on the sub's bench while Nicky Coleman, Michael Marks and Kevin O'Callaghan are still some way short of full fitness.
"We have been a little bit unlucky with the injuries we have picked up but once everybody gets fit I think things will really start coming together" said Cascarino.
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Millwall 1 Orient 0 (agg 2-1)
By Terry Bushell
GEORGE Lawrence's delightful 74th minute goal on Tuesday was a jewel.
Millwall’s summer signing from Southampton went on a surging run and cut in from the left before placing the ball into the far bottom corner.
Lions manager John Docherty said: "He took it brilliantly. He had only one idea in mind when he received the ball."
The goal put Millwall through in the Littlewood's Cup without the trouble of extra time.
A tedious first half was notable only for another expensive signing, Tony Cascarino from Gillingham, withdrawing with hamstring trouble.
The Fourth Division visitors playing at a slightly faster pace, than they were used to tired towards the end, and Lawrence could easily have gone on to a hat-trick with fierce shots.
Substitute Jimmy Carter was himself replaced - by DanisSalman - after an ineffectual display. Les Briley fought tirelessly in midfield to try and find a way through Orients sweeper system.
Millwall: Horne, Stevens, Sparham, Hurlock, Walker, Wood, Lawrence, Briley, Sheringham,
Cascarino, ((Carter) (Salman)), Byrne.
Leyton Orient: Wells, Howard, Sitton, Smalley, Day (Hull), Hayles, Ketteridge, Castle, Nugent Godfrey, Comfort. Sub: Sussex.
Referee: J Martin (Alton, Hants). Att: 4,120.
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| By George! Lawrence Shatters Leyton |
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There were mixed fortunes for Millwall's expensive collection of new signings, as the Lions made heavy
weather of this Littlewoods Cup tie. Tony Cascarino limped off with a hamstring injury, George Lawrence scored an absolute
cracker and Steve Wood performed assorted heroics at the centre of Millwall's over-stretched defence.
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Leyton Orient, who held on for a 1-1
draw during the first leg at Brisbane Road,
were supposed to surrender
tamely as Millwall continued their
impressive start to the season.
Unfortunately someone forgot to
read Frank Clark’s men the script
and only a string of sprawling
saves by Millwall keeper Brian
Horne, prevented them from
pulling off a major shock.
The Fourth Division club hustled
and bustled Millwall out of their
stride during a first half that was
high on effort and commitment but
low on skill and clear-cut chances.
John Docherty's men did manage
to carve out one when Teddy
Sheringham and Tony Cascarino
combined to put Lawrence in the
clear but his shot skewed across
the face of the goal.
Horne flung himself to left to deny
Mark Smalley and then pulled off
an equally impressive save from
Kevin Hales as Orient showed
that they were prepared to throw
men forward in order to snatch a
money spinning second round
place.
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MILLWALL (0) 1
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LEYTON ORIENT (0) 0
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Lawrence 71
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Attendence: 4,120
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• George Lawrence - a
piece of clinical finishing
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Millwall’s hopes of cracking the deadlock suffered a setback when Cascarino hobbled out of the action in the 38th minute after tweaking a hamstring.
"Tony felt a slight twinge so he did the sensible thing and asked to come off," explained
Docherty.
The Millwall manager sent on Jimmy Carter and pushed Lawrence into Cascarino's central striking role, but a dreary hour had ticked by before the Lions finally began to get a grip on the game.
Terry Hurlock, a forceful, commanding influence in midfield, took things into his own hands with one savage drive that Den old boy Peter Wells just managed to push into the side-netting.
And just when it looked as though the tie was destined to go into extra time, Lawrence advanced menacingly down the left, cut inside and swept Millwall into the next round with a precise effort from the edge of the penalty
area.
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There was still time for Docherty to create an unusual statistic by subbing the sub with Danis Salman replacing Carter, and Lawrence should have given the score a more convincing look, but his far-post volley flew over the top.
"I thought George took his goal quite brilliantly" said Docherty afterwards.
"He knew exactly what he wanted to do and from the moment he cut inside it looked like a goal."
"Orient made it difficult for us, but once we scored they were forced to drop their sweeper system and in the end we could have had two or three."
RATINGS:
Horne *****, Stevens ***, Sparham ***, Hurlock ****,
Walker ***, Wood *****, Lawrence ****, Briley
***, Sheringham **, Cascarino **, Byrne **, Subs: Carter ** (for Cascarino 38), Salman (for Carter 80) Booking: Stevens.
Match rating 2.
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| Lawrence revives Millwall |
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By Joe Lovejoy
Millwall..............................1
Leyton Orient.....................0
(Millwall win 2-1 on agg)
Why so many EastEnders foresook Albert Square for this, Dot only knows, but
eventually, after 74 tedious minutes, 4,000 die hards at
the Den were rewarded for their patience with a delightful goal from George
Lawrence.
Millwall's £160,000 acquisition from Southampton sprinted half the length of the pitch and cut in from the left before driving his new team into the
second round of the Littlewood's Cup.
The first leg, drawn 1-1 at Brisbane Road, left Millwall favourites to complete the
job, but ensured their opponents traveled in a optimistic mood.
An unremarkable, goalless first half reinforced Orient’s optimism, the Second Division
team only troubling Peter Wells only once, when
Teddy Sheringham hacked the keeper's legs with reckless challenge.
Millwall spent around £600,000 - a Krays ransom – on new players during the summer.
What Harry Cripps or Benny Fenton make of such extravagance is |
anybody's guess, but this unprecedented
investment led Arsenal's manager, George Graham to risk a modest wager
on his old club achieving promotion to the First Division for the
first time in their history. Graham has reputation as the canniest of Scots,
but on this evidence the bookies will collect yet again.
Millwall lacking in cohesion had their problems exacerbate in the 38th minute when Tony
Cascarino, - their £225,000 buy from Gillingham, withdrew
with hamstring trouble.
Jimmy Carter, acquired from Queen’s Park Rangers for peanuts and with
only one League
goal to his credit, was an enthusiastic but ineffective
A resounding long-range shot by Steve Ketteridge, which demanded a
leaping save from Brian Horne reflected Orient's growing confidence.
Eventually after replacing Carter with their second substitute Danis Salman,
Millwall stirred themselves, Terry Hurlock and Steve Wood were
both close to supplying the goal they required before Lawrence settled the issue
with a high class strike. |
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Eyes right: Orient's Kevin Godfrey (left) and Millwall's Sean Sparham,
tussle for the ball in last nights Littlewood's cup match.
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| Postscript:
above
report attracted a compliant by a Millwall fan and received the
following reply:
Thanks to the reader who pointed out that Millwall should not be classed
as an East End club, as was suggested in our report of their
midweek match against Leyton Orient. As everyone knows they are,
of course, part of the fabric of Sarf Lunnunn. However it is our
duty to warn staff at BBC Grandstand that the same reader is
unhappy about Desmond Lynam’s assertion that the GM Vauxhall
club Fisher Athletic (from Bermondsey) also play within the sounds
of Bow bells. The reader intends to make his point in person. His
name is Harry the Dog.
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| Derby delight for Millwall's new striking hero
Millwall manager John Docherty singled out George Lawrence
for special praise after his second goal in successive matchestook the Lions through,
last night, to the next round of the Littlewood's Cup.
Millwall won 2-1 on aggregate against Leyton Orient and Docherty said: "Lawrence took his
goal brilliantly but Leyton Orient made it difficult for us.
quot;We were never threatened but we had to break down their defensive scheme
and calm down to do it. They made us fight hard."
Docherty's elation was tempered by a hamstring injury to £225,000 signing Tony
Cascarino after 39 minutes. Docherty said: "It's too early to tell
yet if it's going to keep him out of Saturday’s game.
Leyton Orient manager Frank Clark said: The longer the game went on, the more I fancied our
chances. Our defence showed a lot of commitment and perhaps we had one or two players who didn't quite believe we could win."
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Lawrence...Match
Winner |
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Lions face QPR in Cup
by Steve Stammers
FIRST DIVISION leaders Queens Park Rangers were today paired with Millwall in an intriguing
Littlewoods Cup second round tie.
Rangers have emerged as London's shock team after the opening week with wins
over West Ham and Arsenal and a draw with Derby.
But they can expect a fierce battle if they are to overcome a revived
Millwall side, whose manager John Docherty was delighted with both the opposition and with staging
the decisive second leg at The Den.
"I am sure we will have a full house for that one", said Docherty,
whose own side are unbeaten after their first four matches.
"I prefer to play away because-of Rangers artificial pitch. It's better to
know what you have to do against them on a normal surface.
"It's a hell of a draw and I am sure we can give them good Cup tie.
Financially it should be good with good gates for both legs."
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MILLWALL travel to the Loftus Road plastic pitch when they take on QPR in the second round of the Littlewoods Cup. But that doesn't worry
manager John Docherty.
"Playing on a plastic pitch doesn't really concern me," he said. "I'm pleased
with the draw because it provides an attractive fixture for
our fans."
The Lions may he happy, but there was little excitement for
the other south London sides from yesterday's draw. |
Crystal Palace play Fourth Division Newport County, Charlton take on Walsall, the third Division outfit who knocked
them out of the FA Cup last season, and Wimbledon are paired with Fourth Division Rochdale.
The games are over two legs. For the first leg, in the week
beginning September 21, Charlton and Palace are
at home. Wimbledon and Millwall will host the second
leg games in the week beginning October 1
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