We meet another one of Mick McCarthy’s former teams on Saturday as we try to build on last night’s point and improve our miserable home record against another side having a disappointing campaign who we invariably end up drawing with lately. Here’s seven questions on Millwall dating back to the sixties, the answers to which will be posted on the weekend.
60s. This forward never stayed anywhere too long in his thirteen year career with the forty one league matches he played for Millwall being the third highest he managed for any of his eight Football League clubs. After a false start close to home which saw him freed to join alliterative non leaguers, he found himself at a club that, judging by their nickname, could be mistaken for cowards. Goals at a better rate than one in every three matches attracted Millwall’s interest and he played two or, possibly, three times against us at Ninian Park for them without experiencing a win. Moving on to a road, apparently, named after itinerant Irish gamblers, he did less well playing in what is a very distinctive kit now, but would have been less so then. Another transfer after just a season saw him go to another team further north with unique garb in the Football League and while he was there he went on loan train spotting for a short while. Next there was an undistinguished season with what were church going competition newcomers in those days before he finished off close to home at a genuine contender for the coldest ground in England for a team that are trying to regain their Football League place this season – who am I describing?
70s. Defender who was a natural for a strange, foot related, version of pairs wrestling? (4,4)
80s. A fairly frequent opponent of Cardiff’s in a playing career which extended into three decades, this defender will have no reason to remember the two matches he played against City in a Millwall shirt with any affection. Apart from a short spell on another continent after leaving Cold Blow Lane, Millwall was the furthest south he played in an eleven club career which had almost ended by the time he was, possibly, reciting what might be termed down market poetry. This was where a new career started for him, one which continues to this day, but who is he?
90s. Len in messy spiking down Millwall way? (5,5)
00s. This Edmonton product was part of an unlikely trio in one of his visits to Ninian Park as a Millwall player. Forced to leave his first club because, frankly, he was never going to break into the first team there, he signed for Millwall and had seven good years there during which he captained the team at times and was a winner of a club Player of the Year award. His longevity at his second club was in complete contrast to what happened at his third despite a pretty big fee being paid for him and he was off to a different type of cats almost before his feet had touched the ground. In cricketing terms, his next club was a little akin to fielding in the outfield and his playing career wound down with short spells with flying rats, a team that can’t make up its mind whether it plays in orange or white and and a side that plays at a home for insects. His final team were based in a village which, for a short while, entertained genuine ambitions of making it into the Football League and they also beat fallen giants, who have a penchant for losing to lower league sides these days despite an improvement which has seen them get quite close to former heights, in the FA Cup. He started in management at this team and is currently looking for a new club. Do you know who he is?
10s. He scored for Millwall at Cardiff City Stadium during this decade, had a loan spell at another Welsh club and was forced to retire because of a recurring hip problem at the age of twenty nine, can you name him?
20s. This current Millwall player’s first ever taste of senior first team football came when he was brought on as a substitute for Aaron Wildig and fans at his first club were likening him to Andrea Pirlo by the time he left them, name him.
Answers:
60s. County Durham born Bryan Conlon started his career at Newcastle, but never played a game for them and signed for South Shields when he was released by them. Darlington offered him a route back into the Football league which he took well enough to persuade Millwal to sign him in 1967. Conlon definitely played against City at Ninian Park for the Lions in 67/68 and 68/69, but he also may well have done in the last City home game to be abandoned in November 1967, but I was unable to confirm that. Conlon left Millwall for Norwich in 1969 and then played for Blackburn, Crewe (on loan) and Cambridge United before ending his professional career at Hartlepool.
70s. Tony Tagg.
80s. Sam Allardyce came up against City twice while playing for Millwall. The first game ended in a 4-0 defeat at the Den for him in September 1982 and they were beaten 3-0 at Ninian Park five months later. Allardyce played for Tampa Bay Rowdies for a few months after leaving Millwall and was outside the UK again when his management career as he took over as player boss at Limerick in 1991.
90s. Nigel Spink.
00s. David Livermore never played for Arsenal’s first team and left Highbury for Millwall in 1999. One of his three hundred plus matches for the Lions saw him sent off in the 90th minute along with team mate Tony Dunne and City’s James Collins in a 1-0 Millwall win at Ninian Park in February 2004. A £500,000 fee took him to Leeds in 2006, but, just as at Arsenal, he never played a game for them and was sold ten days later to Hull. A loan spell at Boundary Park, Oldham followed, then he was off to Brighton, loaned to Luton and signed by Barnet. Histon, winners of an FA Cup tie with Leeds in 2008, were his final club and in 2010 he became their manager. Livermore was sacked from his job of Cardiff City Assistant Manager last week.
10s. Scott Barron scored for Millwall in their 2-1 defeat in Cardiff in September 2010. Barron played for Ipswich and Brentford besides and was loaned out to Wrexham in 2007 while with the Tractor Boys.
20s. Ryan Woods replaced Aaron Wildig in the eighty ninth minute of Shrewsbury’s 1-0 win over Oldham in April 2013, by the time he left them for Brentford in 2015, Shrews fans were calling him the Ginger Pirlo.