Millwall v Wrexham
- Kieffer Moore - 58'
- Lewis O'Brien - 90'+18'
Wrexham edge Millwall to register first Championship win
Kieffer Moore's header put Wrexham on their way to their first win of the season in the Championship as they ground out a 2-0 victory against Millwall at The Den.
It was Wrexham's first win in the second tier since they defeated Rotherham on the final day of the 1981-82 season, and it was sealed by Lewis O'Brien's goal deep into stoppage time.
The only thing that took the shine off the result for Phil Parkinson's side was a serious injury to Danny Ward, who was stretchered off not long before O'Brien's clincher.
Neither team were able to fashion any clear chances in the early stages, although Millwall goalkeeper Steven Benda did well to prevent Ryan Hardie from getting on the end of Ryan Longman's long pass.
But Wrexham could be pleased with the way they had nullified the hosts after they had made a bright start, with Zak Sturge and Aidomo Emakhu looking lively down the left-hand side.
That combination led to Massimo Luongo having a chance to take aim from outside the box with just over half an hour played, but the Australian miscued his shot over.
A clearer chance for the hosts came after 36 minutes when Mihailo Ivanovic could have done better than glance an inviting cross from Emakhu wide.
There was another chance for Wrexham just before half-time when Hardie glanced on George Dobson's cross, but Moore couldn't get on the end of it at the back post.
The first time Ward was really called into action was two minutes after the restart when he had to push behind Sturge's deflected cross.
But Millwall had started the second half well and created another opening when Emakhu played the ball into the area for Josh Coburn whose wild shot was comfortably off target.
Against the run of play, it was Wrexham who took the lead in the 57th minute when Moore beat Benda to Max Cleworth's cross from deep and nodded in his fourth goal in three games.
The Lions struggled to respond to this setback and it took them until the 74th minute to threaten an equaliser when substitute Raees Bangura-Williams' low shot was comfortably saved by Ward.
Emakhu then almost had the goal his performance deserved when his volley from Coburn's cross flew narrowly wide of the near post.
Millwall's best chance to level came three minutes into stoppage time when Ward, who injured himself on landing, dropped Joe Bryan's long ball into the box but Kevin Nisbet blazed over.
There was a 12-minute delay before Ward was stretchered off, and Wrexham sealed victory in the 19th minute of added time when O'Brien got in behind and lofted the ball over Benda.
"We showed a gritty and determined nature to us today, and I think that was important," Wrexham boss Parkinson said post match. "You have to do that here at Millwall because they're a good side and it's a really difficult place to come.
"I've managed here many times and I've played here, and you've got to be stand up and be counted.
"I'm so pleased for the boys. Tuesday was a great win at Preston [in the Carabao Cup] and I felt the belief was coming into us a little bit."
Game Information
- Referees:
- Thomas Kirk
English League Championship Standings
Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Middlesbrough | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | +6 | 12 |
West Bromwich Albion | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | +3 | 10 |
Stoke City | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | +5 | 9 |
Leicester City | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 9 |
Coventry City | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | +8 | 8 |
Bristol City | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | +5 | 8 |
Swansea City | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +2 | 7 |
Portsmouth | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 7 |
Preston North End | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 7 |
Birmingham City | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
Norwich City | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | +1 | 6 |
Millwall | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 6 |
Southampton | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
Watford | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
Wrexham | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
Charlton Athletic | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 4 |
Hull City | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -4 | 4 |
Queens Park Rangers | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -5 | 4 |
Blackburn Rovers | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
Ipswich Town | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | -1 | 3 |
Derby County | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -4 | 2 |
Oxford United | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -3 | 1 |
Sheffield Wednesday | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -6 | 1 |
Sheffield United | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -6 | 0 |