Lincoln City will feel they dropped two points in London this afternoon, after drawing 2-2 with Millwall, having led 2-0 and hitting the post twice.
The Imps led by two at the break, and it could have been three before the hour mark, but slowly, Millwall ground their way back into the game. In the end, shared points were probably right, but Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw’s side really deserved all three after bouncing back from a tough week.
City were forced into some changes, six in total, given the suspensions handed out to Tom Hamer and Conor McGrandles. In came Yunus Konak for his first EFL start since joining on loan from Brentford, while Andrei Coubis also returned to the side. Adam Reach replaced Callum Elder, while Ben House missed out through injury, replaced by Rob Street. Dom Jefferies also came into the side at the expense of Daniel Oyegoke, who completed a tiring 90 minutes on Wednesday. Finally, Reeco Hackett returned to the starting XI after his spell out with concussion, replacing Chio Ogbene.
The game kicked off early, meaning the Imps had less time than usual to prep. Finishing at ten on Wednesday night, the turnaround for the game was fewer than 72 hours, handing the home side a fitness advantage and necessitating some of the changes.
It took City just 30 seconds to get their noses in front, with Coubis providing the perfect start. A long ball up the field eventually led to Hackett delivering a cross, which was cleared to Coubis on the edge of the penalty area. He stroked his shot across goal, Freddie Draper left it alone, and the ball found its way inside the far post.
Millwall’s first opportunity came in the eighth minute, when a long throw caused us a few problems. The ball squirmed out to Kyrell Lisbie, but he struck wide, allowing City to preserve that early advantage. It was already a busy, intense contest, with us working hard and the hosts looking like they knew they were in a battle.
Draper then won a free kick after a foul by Zak Sturge, with Tristan Crama heading the delivery away before Millwall also dealt with a Coubis long throw. Lisbie broke at the other end, where Ivan Varfolomeev brought him down to concede a free kick. Neither side was being given much time to settle, with the game moving quickly from one end to the other.
Camiel Neghli was fortunate to avoid a booking after Street knocked the ball past him and was simply blocked off. The resulting free kick, out on the right touchline around 20 yards out, saw Hackett try his luck, with the goalkeeper catching the ball before coming down against the post and the ball going out. It looked like a corner, then perhaps a free kick, before it became clear that offside had been given.
At the other end, a deep Millwall free kick was clipped behind by Hackett, despite George Wickens’ efforts to prevent the corner. That delivery came to nothing, with Jake Cooper penalised for having hold of Coubis’s shirt in the penalty area. Set pieces were providing much of the home side’s threat, although we were generally finding a way to deal with them.
One corner in the 25th minute came much closer to bringing an equaliser than it initially appeared. The overhit delivery was dropping in at the back post before Wickens clawed it away, with Sonny Bradley firmly heading the next corner clear. It was an important intervention from our keeper, preserving the lead before we began to create chances to extend it.
We should have made it two in the 32nd minute, following a lovely break down the right. Coubis delivered the cross, Draper controlled and shot, but a deflection took his effort wide. A minute later, however, we did have our second, with Street finishing off a well-worked move.
The corner came in and out before Bradley stroked a lovely pass into Street’s path, allowing him to finish smartly. There was a hint of handball earlier in the move, but the goal stood and City had a two-goal cushion. Given the quality of the opportunity just before it, the second goal had certainly been coming.
Crama went into the book shortly afterwards, following a coming together with Bradley. The bump itself looked soft, particularly given a couple of challenges we had already seen pass without a booking, but the yellow was for dissent. Millwall’s frustration was growing, and Neghli did little to improve things when a corner fell to him and he sliced an awful effort well away from the goalmouth.
Draper then collected a frustrating booking in the 42nd minute for kicking the ball away. He claimed he had not heard the whistle, but the yellow means he will now serve a suspension, adding another absence for us to contend with.
A minute later, we should have been celebrating a third, with Draper and Street combining to send Hackett through. His shot was blocked before the ball came back off him and went behind for a goal kick. It was desperately unlucky, denying us even a corner after another move which had opened Millwall up.
The hosts did create an opportunity before the break, Neghli crossing for an unmarked Lisbie, whose header went straight at Wickens and was comfortably held. Derek Mazou-Sacko also tried his luck in stoppage time after a quickly taken corner was worked around the edge of the area. He struck the ball cleanly, but from such a distance that Wickens was able to gather with ease.
There was still time for Lisbie to lift a cross towards Mark Sykes, who found himself free but saw his shot hit Lyndon Dykes and go behind for a goal kick. Boos rang out as the half-time whistle followed, with City heading into the dressing room two goals ahead and having created the chances to make that lead even healthier.
Each bar shows the two sides' share of that row's total, so it says who had more — not whether it was good, which would need a league-wide distribution this one match cannot provide.
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