By Longsider
May 9 2005

Press reports of our final game of the season at the New Den yesterday. We have reports from the Sporting Life and Planet Football.

DULL DRAW AT THE DEN

Planet Football

Millwall and Burnley closed out the Championship season with a drab 0-0 draw at The Den.

Both sides had nothing to play for and that was patently obvious during a game in which The Clarets mustered just one shot all afternoon.

But that should have been the chance which separated the sides as the visitors were awarded a penalty on 24 minutes when Darren Ward fouled Graham Branch.

Micah Hyde stepped up to the plate but his spot kick was smartly saved by Millwall keeper Graham Stack.

Burnley had controlled the first half without threatening while Millwall only had a Peter Sweeney shot which went wide to show for their minimalist efforts.

In the second half, the pendulum swung in Millwall's favour with Bob Peeters failing to trouble the Burnley keeper.

Marvin Elliott headed wide and Kevin Muscat, on his final appearance for The Lions, failed to sign off on a positive note as he shot over late on.

 

Millwall 0 Burnley 0

Sporting Life

Millwall failed to give departing chairman Theo Paphitis the perfect send off as they were held to goalless draw by Burnley.

Both teams looked as though they had already started their summer holidays as they served up a drab 90 minutes.

With Millwall's Kevin Muscat returning to Australia this summer and questions marks over manager Dennis Wise's future - it is likely to be all change at the New Den next season.

And Burnley midfielder Micah Hyde should have sent the departing Millwall cast off to pastures new with a defeat. However, the former Watford man missed a 32nd minute penalty.

It did not take long for Millwall to provide the first goal threat of the game, with former Chelsea midfielder Jody Morris sending an effort just wide in the opening 10 minutes from a Peter Sweeney pinpoint cross.

For all of Burnley's early possession it was Millwall creating goal-scoring openings. A great nod down on 28 minutes by Millwall's Ben May left Sweeney with a clear sight of goal, but from the edge of the area he hit his effort high and wide.

With Burnley increasing the pressure Mo Camara sent over a delivery from the left and striker Graham Branch went down under an innocuous challenge from Matt Lawrence.

Referee Brian Curson pointed to the spot, but Hyde's penalty just after the half hour lacked any conviction and Graham Stack saved well down to his left.

A nasty challenge from Burnley's Tony Grant on Paul Ifill saw the first yellow card of the game after 37 minutes.

However, the tackle was a sign of things to follow as the game threatened to boil over in the final minutes of the half.

After a needless foul by James O'Connor on Sweeney, words and pushes were exchanged, leaving referee Curson no option but to book the pair.

Millwall were left cursing their luck after the break as Ifill twice saw reasonable penalty shouts turned down.

Former Aussie international Muscat was also left banging the turf in frustration as his 55th minute effort was cleared off the line by a combination of Burnley defender John McGreal and goalkeeper Danny Coyne.

Wise introduced himself after 67 minutes and his arrival immediately lifted the Millwall players.

Wise is planning to hang up his boots next season but after this late cameo - Millwall can ill-afford to be without their talisman.

Sweeney soon grazed the post with a 20-yard shot, while Marvin Elliott headed over from Wise's free-kick on 73 minutes.

Muscat looked a man on a mission to sign off his Millwall career with a goal, but he blasted over the bar in the final minutes after being teed up by Wise.

Teams

Millwall Stack, Phillips, Lawrence, Ward, Muscat (Quigley 86), Sweeney, Morris (Wise 69), Elliott, Livermore, Ifill, May (Peeters 56).

Subs Not Used: Simpson, Paul Robinson.

Booked: Sweeney, Muscat.

Burnley Coyne, Camara, McGreal, Cahill, Sinclair, Duff, Branch, Hyde, Grant, O'Connor, Akinbiyi.

Subs Not Used: Roche, Oster, Jensen, Bowditch, Valois.

Booked: O'Connor.

Att: 12,171

Ref: B Curson (Leicestershire).