Millwall new-boy Les Briley will miss out on a return to his old club tonight. Manager George Graham has pulled Briley and fellow midfield man Anton Otulakowski out of the friendly, at Wimbledon.

Briley, who played for Wimbledon before signing for Aldershot, completed the move back to London in a exchange deal with Millwall

But as he and Otulakowski will be suspended for the first two matches of the season, manager Graham will leave them on the side-lines. And Graham had some harsh wards for Otulakowski, voted Player of the Year last season after Saturday's 4-2 Den defeat by Aston Villa.

Graham said, "When we've got the ball Anton plays well, when we haven't got the ball he doesn't play. "He should have learned a lesson from the Villa players, who worked hard right through the game. Anton thinks he's one of the best players in this Division, and probably right - but only when he's on the ball.

The impressive thing about Villa is their will to win.

Also missing from the outing win be Micky Nutton, struggling to shake off a leg injury.

Millwall pulled back from 2-0 down to level at 2-2 with Dean Neal and Kevin Bremner getting their goals, but Aston Villa pulled out the stops and added two more goals in the match at the Den on Saturday.

George Graham said: "I hope the crowd (2,692) appreciate that we brought them top opposition and that they saw a good First Division side.

I told my players to take an example  from Steve McMahon, who one minute was scoring a goal and  the next as defending and fighting for the ball in his own penalty area. He's my idea of a class player

"Anton Otulakowski is one of the best players in his division, but only on the ball. He should copy Steve, on and off the ball. Third division players may not have his ability but that's no reason why they have the same application the job.

That's the difference between first and lower division players. They have the will to win. I thought David Martin had an outstanding match as did Dean Neal".

But the referee John Moules, from Essex, spoilt the game. He awarded a disputed penalty when Nicky Chatterton unintentionally handled the ball - Nicky couldn't get his hand away in time, in the tenth minute.

"You can't give Villa a goal start, early on and really make a match of it" he said. 

Graham said: "I was very happy at the way the team played. We were without six of our players, through injury, Kevin Bremner, Neal, Chatterton, Mickey Nutton, Keith Stevens and Lindsay Smith, but the lads who came in for them did well."

"All the pre-season matches we're playing a highly competitive. There's no way that the match with Wimbledon wasn't going to be just that and the derby with Charlton and the Luton game the following Friday will he real tests for us. "There's going to be real competition for places in all departments this season.”