History Millwall F.C.

1 history

1.1 beginnings , relocation: 1885–1919
1.2 entering football league: 1920–1939
1.3 wartime doldrums, wounded lions: 1940–1965
1.4 unbeaten records , class of 71: 1966–1987
1.5 top flight, new stadium , administration: 1988–2000
1.6 promotion, fa cup final , europe: 2001–2004
1.7 upheaval, stability , play-off success: 2005–2013
1.8 fifth trip wembley in 8 years: 2014–present

history


beginnings , relocation: 1885–1919

the first millwall rovers kit, worn club secretary jasper sexton in 1885.

millwall rovers formed workers of j.t. morton s canning , preserve factory in millwall area of isle of dogs in london s east end in 1885. founded in aberdeen in 1849 supply sailing ships food, company opened first english cannery , food processing plant @ millwall dock in 1872 , attracted workforce across country, including east coast of scotland, dundee. club secretary 17-year-old jasper sexton, son of landlord of islander pub in tooke street millwall held club meetings. millwall rovers first fixture held on piece of waste ground on glengall road, on 3 october 1885 against fillebrook, team played in leytonstone. newly formed team beaten 5–0.

rovers found better playing surface 1886–87 season, @ rear of lord nelson pub , became known lord nelson ground. in november 1886, east end football association formed, along senior cup competition. millwall made final against london caledonians, played @ leyton cricket ground. match finished 2–2 , teams shared cup 6 months each. millwall won east london senior cup @ first attempt. club won following 2 years, , trophy became property.

in april 1889, resolution passed millwall drop rovers name , playing under name millwall athletic, inspired move new home athletic grounds. founding members of southern football league won first 2 years of existence, , runners-up in third. forced move new ground north greenwich in 1901, millwall dock company wanted use land timberyard. millwall athletic reached fa cup semi-finals in 1900 , 1903, , champions of western football league in 1908 , 1909.

millwall moved new stadium, named den, in new cross, south london in 1910. club had occupied 4 different grounds in 25 years since formation in east london; limited expansion space on isle of dogs meant lions had move boost support , attendances. estimated cost of den £10,000. first match played @ new ground on 22 october 1910 against reigning southern league champions brighton & hove albion, won 1–0.

entering football league: 1920–1939

annual table positions of millwall in football league, 1920–2016.

millwall, had dropped athletic name, invited join football league in 1920 1920–21 season, along 22 other clubs, through creation of new football league third division. southern league shorn of status, clubs deciding leave—millwall followed suit. millwall s first football league match on 28 august 1920 @ den, , 2–0 winners against bristol rovers.

in 1925–26 season millwall had 11 consecutive clean sheets, football league record, hold jointly york city , reading. millwall became known hard-fighting cup team , competed in various memorable matches, notably defeating three-time league winners , reigning champions huddersfield town 3–1 in third round of 1926–27 fa cup. in 1927–28 season millwall won third division south title , scored 87 goals @ home in league, english record still stands. matches against sunderland , derby county saw packed crowds of 48,000-plus in 1930s , 1940s. 1937 fa cup run saw millwall reach semi-finals third time, , fifth-round game against derby still stands millwall s record attendance of 48,762. millwall 11th best supported team in england in 1939, despite being in second division. millwall 1 of financially wealthy clubs in england. club proposed plans improve den , signed international players. winger reg jr smith capped twice, scoring 2 goals england in 1938. lions pushing promotion first division toward end of decade, 1 week 1939–40 season, world war ii broke out , millwall robbed of aim.

wartime doldrums, wounded lions: 1940–1965

on 7 april 1945, millwall appeared in football league war cup final @ wembley stadium against chelsea, because wartime cup final not acknowledged in record books. war in europe in last days, number of spectators allowed attend games relaxed. attendance 90,000, largest crowd millwall have ever played in front of, included king george vi, whom team introduced before kick-off.

the loss of many young men during second world war made difficult clubs retain former status. true millwall, appeared suffer more most. being 1 of country s biggest clubs before war, millwall reduced 1 of smallest afterward. den sustained severe bomb damage on 19 april 1943, , 1 week later fire, determined have been caused discarded cigarette, destroyed entire stand. club accepted offers neighbours charlton athletic, crystal palace , west ham united stage games @ grounds. on 24 february 1944, millwall returned den, play in all-standing stadium. achieved considerable volunteer labour lions fans.

millwall s fortunes fluctuated in immediate post war years, relegated division 3 south in 1948 , had apply re-election league in 1950 after finishing in bottom two. upswing in fortunes saw millwall finish 5th, 4th, , runners in division 3 south in 1952–53 season; champions being promoted, millwall found stuck in third tier despite averaging crowds of on 20,000. millwall suffered down swing in fortunes number of bottom-half finishes. 1 highlight of period 1 of biggest giantkilling upsets in fourth round of 1956–57 fa cup on 26 january 1957, when millwall beat newcastle united 2–1 in front of crowd of 45,646. millwall suffered ill fortune of becoming founding member of division 4 in 1958. while suffering reorganisation, de-regionalisation of third division north , third division south opened way promotion via runner spots. millwall won division 4 title in 1962 of 23 goals peter burridge , 22 dave jones. relegated again in 1963–64 season, bounce winning back-to-back promotions runner up. last time millwall played in fourth tier.

unbeaten records , class of 71: 1966–1987

later in decade, millwall established record of 59 home games without defeat (43 wins , 16 draws) 22 august 1964 14 january 1967. during spell, millwall played 55 different teams, kept 35 clean sheets, scored 112 goals , conceded 33. largely managers billy gray, laid foundations, , benny fenton, former player continued build on gray s side. players, included winger barry rowan, goalkeeper alex stepney , strikers hugh curran , len julians, presented commemorative gold cigarette lighter football association. record broken liverpool, unbeaten 63 games @ home between 1978 , 1981.

in 1970s, millwall team included many notable , memorable players, remembered fans class of 71 . team included; goalkeeper bryan king, defender harry cripps, goalscoring midfielder derek possee, millwall s capped international player date, eamon dunphy , club s longest serving player, barry kitchener. missed out on promotion division 1 one point. remaining unbeaten @ home in division 2 1971–72 season, millwall became club go through entire season without losing match @ home in 4 different divisions 1927–28 division 3 south, 1964–65 division four, 1965–66 division 3 , 1971–72 division two. in 1974, millwall hosted first game played on sunday against fulham. lions reached quarter-finals of league cup in 1974, , again in 1977.

george graham managed millwall 1983 1986, , during time guided club football league group cup win, beating lincoln city 3–2 in final in 1982–83 season. 1984–85 season particularly successful, millwall reached fa cup quarter-finals , gained promotion second division, going unbeaten @ home again in division three, winning 18 games , drawing five. in fa cup beaten 1–0 first division luton town @ kenilworth road. match remembered wrong reasons, after hooligans rioted @ game. 81 people (including 31 police officers) injured in disturbances.

the top flight, new stadium , administration: 1988–2000

in 3 seasons @ millwall, tony cascarino , teddy sheringham scored 99 goals between them.

graham s replacement glaswegian john docherty. in second season manager, millwall won second division championship , gained promotion top flight of english football first time in club s history. starting 1988–89 season strongly, millwall topped league on 1 october 1988 having played 6 games (winning 4 , drawing two) , slipped out of top 5 before christmas. due tony cascarino , teddy sheringham, scored 99 goals between them in 3 seasons playing together. millwall s first top division season ended tenth-place finish, lowest place occupied club season. following season, briefly led league 1 night in september 1989 after beating coventry city 4–1, won 2 more games season , relegated in 20th place @ end of 1989–90 season.

just before relegation confirmed, docherty sacked , replaced ex-middlesbrough manager bruce rioch. striker teddy sheringham, later played england , highest-scoring player throughout football league in 1990–91 season, sold nottingham forest £2 million after millwall s 6–2 defeat brighton & hove albion in second division play-offs. rioch left millwall in 1992 succeeded irish defender mick mccarthy. mccarthy guided millwall third place in new division 1 @ end of 1993–94 season. first season @ new ground, @ first known new den (to distinguish predecessor) called den, opened labour party leader john smith on 4 august 1993. new ground first all-seater stadium built in england after taylor report on hillsborough disaster. lions knocked arsenal out of 1994–95 fa cup in third-round replay, beating them 2–0 @ highbury. reached quarter-finals of league cup in 1995. millwall lost 5–1 on aggregate derby county in play-off semi-finals same 1994–95 season, in tie blighted crowd trouble. mccarthy resigned take charge of republic of ireland national team on 5 february 1996, shortly after millwall had been knocked off top of division 1 table sunderland, following 6–0 defeat.

jimmy nicholl of raith rovers appointed mccarthy s replacement, not reverse slump in form saw millwall relegated @ end of 1995–96 season in 22nd place. 5 months earlier had been top of division one, millwall found in third tier 1996–97 season. club experienced severe financial difficulties resulted in them being placed in financial administration short time. nicholl relieved of duties , john docherty returned on short-term basis stabilise club.

millwall came out of administration, , new chairman theo paphitis appointed ex-west ham united manager billy bonds manager. 1997–98 season not successful one, club hovering close relegation fourth tier. bonds sacked , replaced keith rhino stevens, alan mcleary assistant. mcleary later promoted role of joint-manager alongside stevens. stevens , mcleary led millwall first ever official appearance @ wembley stadium. lions reached 1999 football league trophy final golden goal win against gillingham in semi-finals, , 2–1 aggregate victory on walsall in regional final. faced wigan athletic in final but, while playing in front of 49,000 of own fans, lost 1–0 injury-time goal. millwall lost 1–0 on aggregate wigan in second division play-off semi-finals 1999–2000 season.

promotion, fa cup final , europe: 2001–2004

mark mcghee named millwall s new manager in september 2000, , 8 months later club won promotion division 2 champions, team built keith stevens, after 5 years in third tier of league. finished 93 points, club record. winning first match of 2001–02 season 4–0 @ home norwich city set team year, in millwall qualified division 1 play-offs, lost eventual winners birmingham city 2–1 in semi-finals. millwall finished mid-table in 2002–03 season , mcghee sacked after start of 2003–04 season.

in 2003, dennis wise, ex-chelsea , england player, became caretaker, , subsequently permanent player-manager, of club. in first season in charge wise led club first fa cup final in history. when millwall took field @ millennium stadium in cardiff second team outside top flight play in cup final since 1982, , first team outside premier league reach final since foundation of top tier in 1992. club missing 16 players squad due suspension or injury. played cup final on 22 may 2004, losing 3–0 manchester united. united had qualified uefa champions league, millwall assured of playing in uefa cup. midfielder curtis weston, substituted wise 1 minute of normal time remaining, became youngest cup final player in history @ 17 years 119 days, beating 125-year-old record of james f. m. prinsep. in 2004–05 uefa cup, millwall lost 4–2 on aggregate in first round proper hungarian champions ferencváros, wise scoring both millwall s goals.

upheaval, stability , play-off success: 2005–2013

in 2005, theo paphitis announced stepping down chairman of club jeff burnige replace him may 2005. @ end of 2004–05 season, manager dennis wise announced leaving unable form working relationship new chairman. former millwall striker steve claridge announced new player-manager of millwall. however, when burnige stepped down 2 months after taking post, announced on 27 july claridge had been sacked after 36 days, without ever taking charge of team in competitive match. former wolverhampton wanderers manager colin lee replaced him lasted 5 months in charge of club. on 21 december, club bottom of championship, became club s director of football , replaced manager 32-year-old player dave tuttle, on short-term contract until end of 2005–06 season. tuttle had no prior experience in football management. in february 2006, lee left club altogether. millwall experienced difficult season, having had 4 managers in 2005. 13 goals scored @ home second worst in football league history. relegation league 1 confirmed on 17 april 2006 2–0 loss against southampton. in closed season nigel spackman appointed new manager, lasted 4 months after string of bad results. in september 2006, theo paphitis (chairman 1997 2005) ended nine-year association club after year-long spell non-executive director. on 19 march 2007, willie donachie signed two-year contract following progress had seen club climb 11th place in league. before donachie took charge, millwall had taken 6 points first ten games. in 2007–08 season millwall sat bottom of table @ beginning of october. donachie sacked on 8 october, richard shaw , colin west becoming caretaker managers.

millwall players celebrating promotion football league championship @ wembley stadium.

in march 2007, chestnut hill ventures, led american john berylson, have interests in business , financial services, retail, property , sport, invested £5 million club. continued investment of berylson, has since become club s major shareholder , chairman, has steered lions on better course on , off pitch. appointment of kenny jackett manager on 6 november 2007, proving crucial. on course of next 2 seasons jackett led millwall 2 top 6 finishes in league one, in fifth , third place respectively. won league 1 manager of month award 3 times while in charge of club. several of key signings helped propel millwall toward play-offs, , eventual promotion. after play-off final defeat in 2008–09 season against scunthorpe united , losing out on automatic promotion on last day of 2009–10 season leeds united 1 point, millwall made wembley, breaking play-off hoodoo run of 5 successive failures in 1991, 1994, 2000, 2002 , 2009, 1–0 win in 2010 league 1 play-off final against swindon town, securing return football league championship after four-year absence.

millwall s first game in championship 3–0 away win @ bristol city. game had been hyped due city s signing of then-england goalkeeper david james. days after defeat, steve coppell resigned city manager. lions celebrated 125th anniversary of club on 2 october 2010, closest home game date first fixture millwall ever played against fillebrook on 3 october 1885. millwall drew 1–1 burnley , wore special one-off kit game, made manufacturers macron, bore names of every footballer had played club. kenny jackett celebrated 5 years in charge of club in november 2012, 4–1 victory away @ nottingham forest. after strong start 2012–13 season, including 13-game unbeaten run , flirting play-offs, millwall finished poorly, 5 wins in last 23 games, narrowly avoiding relegation on last day of season. poor league form coincided reaching semi-final of fa cup fifth time in history. played wigan athletic @ wembley stadium on 14 april 2013, losing 2–0 eventual cup winners. kenny jackett resigned on 7 may 2013. millwall s fourth-longest serving manager. after month of searching, millwall appointed st johnstone boss steve lomas new manager on 6 june 2013. appointment provoked mixed emotions among supporters, due him being former captain of west ham united, biggest rival. club record goalscorer neil harris returned millwall coach on 23 june 2013 after retiring player through injury. millwall sacked lomas on 26 december 2013, after winning 5 of first 22 games in charge. harris , youth team coach scott fitzgerald took on joint caretaker-managers. on 4 january 2014 millwall lost 4–1 @ southend united in fa cup, team 31 places below them in football pyramid. harris described performance shambles.

fifth trip wembley in 8 years: 2014–present

the club appointed ian holloway new manager on 6 january 2014, club sitting 21st in table. given priority of maintaining football league championship status, achieved. millwall went unbeaten in last 8 games of 2013–14 season , finished in 19th place, 4 points above relegation zone. following season, holloway sacked on 10 march 2015 team second bottom in championship, , neil harris reinstated caretaker manager until end of season. unable ensure survival, however, millwall s relegation league 1 confirmed on 28 april 1 game of 2014–15 season still play. harris confirmed millwall s permanent manager next day. in first full season in charge, harris led millwall fourth-place finish in league 1 , play-off final @ wembley, lions lost 3–1 barnsley.

in 2016–17 fa cup, millwall reached quarter-finals ninth time in history, knocking out premier league opposition in 3 consecutive rounds: bournemouth in third round, watford in fourth round, , reigning premier league champions leicester in fifth round. on 28 february 2017, millwall beat peterborough united 1–0 , increased unbeaten run 16 games in competitions, , have gone 9 games without conceding goal first time since 1925–26 season. millwall made league 1 play-off final @ wembley second successive year, after beating scunthorpe united 3–2 in semi-final. promoted championship following 1–0 playoff final victory on bradford city, 85th-minute winner steve morison, 86th goal club.