MIHAILO Ivanovic, Casper De Norre, and debutant Ra’ees Bangura-Williams netted as Millwall cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win against Dagenham & Redbridge in the FA Cup Third Round, setting up a tantalising tie with Leeds United in the Fourth Round.
Millwall ended the game with four academy players on the pitch, but it was Bangura-Williams who stole the show by scoring an outrageous solo effort with the game drawing to a close.
It was a goal that masked an at times lacklustre Lions performance, who struggled to break down a stubborn Daggers side for much of the first half. Ivanovic’s unusual header from the floor broke the deadlock, before De Norre’s volley deep into second half ended any hope of an FA Cup upset.
The game allowed Millwall boss Alex Neil to give minutes to a number of players on the fringe of the squad, including Billy Mitchell and Adam Mayor, and saw Jake Cooper make his first start since mid-November.
In the end it was a routine win, with plenty of positives to take away from. Cooper looked sharp and will boost a Lions’ defence that has not been at it’s best recently, while Mitchell and Mayor got important minutes, but the main headline was Bangura-Williams. The youngster was recently handed a new contract by the Lions after signing for the academy a year ago, and looked excellent.
With reports that Romain Esse may leave the club circling, the Lions may have found their next young superstar.
Millwall found it hard to break down a stubborn and well-organised Daggers’ mid-block, who were buoyed by a raucous away end. The Lions had a few half-chances – Femi Azeez fired over after winning the ball high up the pitch, Jake Cooper volleyed over from a corner – but struggled to generate anything clear cut in the opening 25 minutes.
Eventually, the dam burst. Dagenham & Redbridge put up an admirable fight for the first 30 minutes, but were undone by one of the most unusual goals The Den has seen. George Honeyman’s cross was met by a leaping Cooper, who nodded it down to Mihailo Ivanovic lurking in the six-yard box. Ivanovic’s initial volley deflected back into his path, and while on the floor the Serb headed it over the line.
Millwall deserved to be ahead, but as has a been a common theme this season, lacked a bit of cutting edge and ‘killer instinct’ around the box. Time and time again, corners or crosses flashed across the six-yard box without Millwall player getting on the end of it.
The whistle blew for half-time with the Lions only one goal up despite having 21 touches in Dagenham & Redbridge’s box. They had nine shots, only two of which were on target.
The Daggers’ came out of the dressing room intent on pushing for an equaliser, and immediately started pressing higher, leaving of space at the back. However, Millwall were still sloppy in possession and struggled to punish Dagenham & Redbridge for their new-found ambition.
After a scrappy opening ten minutes, the game exploded into life. The Lions nearly doubled their lead in the 57th minute after Cooper towered over the Daggers’ defence to get on the end of Honeyman’s corner, but his header bounced just past the post.
A minute later, the Daggers went up the other end and had a couple of golden opportunities to get back in the game. Josh Rees had an effort from inside the box deflected out for a corner, while Jake Hessenthaler volleyed the resulting set-piece straight into the hands of Lukas Jensen.
The game continued at a high tempo, with Dagenham & Redbridge still aggressively searching for a route back into the game, but eventually the Lions put paid to those ambitions.
In the 71st minute, Adam Mayor slid in Joe Bryan, who drove to the byline before lofting in a dangerous ball that Casper De Norre tapped in at the back post.
Millwall’s second goal killed off any hopes Dagenham & Redbridge had progressing to the next round. The Daggers sent on several attackers but did not really threaten Lukas Jensen in the Lions’ net.
Alex Neil used the opportunity to send on several youngsters as Dagenham & Redbridge faded. The Scotsman handed Sheldon Kendall and Bangura-Williams their debut only a week after the duo signed new contracts with the club, and brought on midfielder Alfie Massey, who was his second appearance in a Millwall shirt.
Bangura-Williams rewarded Neil’s faith with a stunning solo goal only minutes after being brought on. In the 85th minute, he won the ball high up the pitch, dribbled past several defenders before slotting the ball into the far corner of the net. It was an outstanding goal which showed plenty of skill and confidence. Millwall clearly have quite the promising talent on their hands.
The game soon crept to a close, setting up an tantalising tie with Leeds United in the next round in early February.
Millwall: 4-2-3-1 – Jensen; Bryan, Cooper, Tanganga, Leonard; Mitchell, De Norre (Massey 84); Azeez (Saville 64), Honeyman, Mayor (Bangura-Williams 75); Ivanovic (Kendall 84)
Unused substitutes: Roberts, Wallace, Hutchinson, Bangura-Williams, Harding, Baker
Dagenham & Redbridge: 4-1-4-1: Justham; Rutherford, Kalambayi, Phipps, Mahorn (Eastman 75); N’Guessan (Morias 75); Hill, Rees, Hessenthaler, Remy (Pereira 55); Stephenson (Umerah 55)
Unused substitutes: Francis, Eastman, Grego-Cox, Morias, Parsons
Referee: Robert Madley
Attendance: 5,625 (1,529)